


Awestruck

by la_vie_musicale



Category: Promare (2019)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-01
Updated: 2021-02-20
Packaged: 2021-03-10 18:14:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 26,797
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28491492
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/la_vie_musicale/pseuds/la_vie_musicale
Summary: A stranger has moved into the city and has immediately caught Galo Thymo's eye. There is a mysterious air about him, something that completely draws him in. There's a charm that he has never experienced before in his life. It makes him want to learn more about him.Lio has been on the road for a while, his friends Meis and Gueira sticking close to him. This city was supposed to be the same as all the other ones. But this city had something, or rather someone, the other ones didn't.Updated Tuesdays and Saturdays!
Relationships: Lio Fotia/Galo Thymos
Comments: 13
Kudos: 59





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first chapter style Promare fic! I worked really hard on this, so I hope anyone who's reading it finds it enjoyable! Please let me know what you think or how I can improve! I appreciate anyone who reads it, and I hope it can give you some kind of positive emotions!

There were a lot of things that struck Galo Thymos, most of them being some kind of solid item. But awe was not really one of them. He had been surprised, amazed, and even startled. 

Never awestruck.

About ten feet from him he saw a group of three people. Or it could have been more. He was really only paying attention to one member of the group. His blond hair was short around his neck and his violet eyes seemed to look right past him. His pale skin contrasted with the completely black outfit that he was wearing, his hands stuffed in his jacket pocket as he seemed to continue a conversation with his companions. He had even made him stop eating his pizza and barely anything could do that. As they passed by him, he could hear only a little of his voice, which was deeper than he thought it would be, though he didn’t know what he was actually expecting. 

Galo watched as he pulled one hand out of his pocket and saw his folded up money drop out of his pocket. He quickly caught the bill and lightly chased after them.

“Hey! You dropped this!”

He now noticed there were three of them as they stopped and he turned around. The first thought that ran through his head was how beautiful he was. His own blue eyes met with the stranger’s lavender ones and for a brief second and his mind went blank.

“Thank you-

“My name is Galo Thymos!”

The blond man smiled and took the bill from Galo’s hand. “Thank you, Galo Thymos. I’ll see you around.”

He watched as the trio walked away, the only sound he could hear was the loud thud in his chest and ears from his heart. What was that? Why did he have an urge to get to know him? Why was he disappointed that he hadn’t gotten his name in return? And why did that last sentence make him excited?

Before he could even think to sort through the questions going on in his head, he heard a loud buzz on the table that he was seated at, and rushed over to it. Without looking at who the call was coming from he picked it up.

“Yeah?”

“Galo, get back here!” A female voice called out. “I’m ready to take my lunch break and you’re late! I can’t leave until you do!”

“Sorry, Aina! I’ll be back soon!” He replied before hanging up. He looked at the pizza he hadn’t finished eating. That was the first time that he’d have to get a take home box.

Galo made it back to the fire station to resume his shift, all the while his mind on that stranger he had the fortune of meeting on his break. Before he knew it, his shift was reaching its end. He wasn’t knocked out of his daze until he felt a push from his shoulder. Surprised, he turned and found his coworker. The first major thing he noticed about her was her bright pink hair. Her sky blue eyes blinked in confusion as she readjusted her red jacket and crossed her arms.

“Hey, I’ve been calling out to you for like, five minutes. What’s your deal?”

“You were calling me? I guess I didn’t hear you… Sorry, Aina!”

“No kidding…” Aina said with a slight sigh. “Anyways, you’ve been weird ever since you came back from lunch. You okay?”

“I’m fine! Well at least I think I’m fine? I didn’t finish my lunch today either so maybe I’m sick?” Galo tilted his head to the side while crossing his arms in thought. “Though it started right after I saw that guy today…”

“Guy? Was he sketchy or something?”

Galo shook his head. “No way! Honestly, he was really handsome and I couldn’t think for a second…” Galo replied scratching the back of his head. “That’s never happened before, you know?”

“Really? Then you must’ve thought he was cute. That’s usually what happens when you have a crush on someone.”

“What? No way! How do you have a crush on someone you don’t even know?”

“It happens all the time, Galo. I’m surprised you’ve made it this far in life without experiencing it.” Aina replied before getting her bag from her locker. “It’s pretty normal.”

“Well I need to get over it! I’ve been distracted all day and it could have caused an accident or something!” Galo responded with a slight panic to his voice. 

“Stop freaking out. You cause accidents without being distracted. Plus, you may not even meet him again, so why worry?”

Galo sighed, his mind still partially on the man he had seen earlier. Even though he knew Aina had a point, part of him was still hoping for another meeting. That way he could at least get his name or something.

After walking with Aina to her apartment and eating some of her dinner, he started on his walk home. The night had fallen and the winter air felt good on his face. Was it really just a crush? He had heard about them, but maybe he always had something else going on in his mind that the idea never really made a blip on his radar? He crossed his arms, readjusting his jacket, thoughts still racing through his mind. His head was getting too heavy. He needed a snack to get his mind off of it and luckily he was near his favorite convenience store.

As soon as he walked in, he noticed the man from earlier, distracted by reading some kind of food item. He felt his stomach do a slight flip and before he knew it he was walking towards him. As discreetly as he could, he picked up a bag of chips on the same aisle he was on, and desperately tried to focus on those.

"We meet again, Galo Thymos."

Galo turned to see the man looking up at him with an amused smile. He felt his stomach flutter a little. Okay… so maybe Aina had a point...

“I guess we just have good tastes in stores, huh?” Galo replied confidently, lifting the bag of chips he still had in his hand. 

“Well, that and this store is the closest to where I’m temporarily staying.” He responded, returning his attention back to the snacks. “My traveling friends really wanted something to snack on, but I just can’t decide on anything. Do you suggest anything specific, Galo Thymos?”

Galo looked around for a second then picked up a large bag of salted chips. “These chips are super addictive! They’re really really good. Also this popcorn is pretty good, but don’t pop it as long as the box says. It’ll burn...”

“Oh yeah?” The man replied, taking the snacks from Galo’s hands. “And what if I want something sweet? Any ideas?”

“Well, do you want gummies or chocolate?”

“Surprise me.”

Galo looked at him with a smile and led him to another aisle, making sure to choose two different options. He put his chips down and quickly hid two bags behind his back and smiled proudly. “Okay! Choose left or right!”

The man blinked his lavender eyes in curiosity before gesturing to the right side of Galo’s body. Immediately, Galo pulled out a bag of mini peanut butter chocolate balls and handed them to him.

“These are really good, too! Great as a midnight snack and sure to please anyone who eats them!”

“Well, I’m willing to try anything. Plus, when they get too hungry, they get whiny.” He said, somewhat amused. “Thanks, Galo Thymos.”

“You don’t have to call me by my full name constantly…” Galo responded as he took the bag of gummies from behind his back, keeping it in his left hand. He heard the man chuckle as he was looking at the gummies.

“Yes, but you make a funny face when I call you that. I guess I can’t help myself.” He said before walking towards the checkout counter. They paid for their snacks and Galo couldn’t help but feel kind of happy at the fact that he waited for him to finish and didn’t just leave. They walked out of the store before the stranger started off towards an area of the city populated by hotels.

“Wait! I wanted to ask you something before you go!”

“Oh yeah? What’s that?”

“Can I get your name?”

The man’s eyes widened slightly, and he readjusted his hair before chuckling. “Is that all?”

“Well… You know mine! I think it’s only fair!”

“It’s Lio Fotia. But I hope you only use my first name.”

“Only if you do the same thing! It’s weird being called by my full name!”

Lio laughed before turning and making his way towards his hotel. Galo felt a smile creep on his face as he turned to walk towards his own apartment complex. So, he had gotten a name, which was something he didn’t think he would be able to get.

Galo made his way to his apartment, almost feeling like he floated his way back. He plopped down on his bed, thousands of thoughts running through his head. But the main one that came to mind was where Lio came from. He had lived in that city his entire life, and while it wasn’t a bad place to live, it wasn’t really known for being a place for visitors. Unless there was a special technology expo like Aina’s sister would go to, they really never had a huge influx of people coming into the city. And he always liked meeting new people. 

But he had never met someone like Lio.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this chapter! If you feel so inclined, feel free to support me on my Kofi (no pressure) at:
> 
> https://ko-fi.com/dominiquesade


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to those that read and supported the story! Please enjoy!

The next week progressed without incident, to Galo’s slight disappointment. He kind of just wanted to see Lio again. Granted it was a large city, but he still wanted a chance to talk to him. He didn’t even know if he was still in the city. And whenever that thought passed through his mind, he had to be honest, he felt at a loss. 

The next time they crossed paths, Galo was getting his usual pizza for dinner. He had almost decided that their meeting was one of those fateful encounters when on his way out of the restaurant with a large box in his hand, he almost ran right into Lio. There was a quick flash of surprise in his eyes as he saw Lio making his way down the street in front of the restaurant. 

“Long time no see, Galo.”

“Lio! Hey! Yeah, long time…”

He watched as Lio glanced at his large pizza box. “You know, I did mean to ask you the next time I saw you if this pizza was good or not. You were eating it the first time we met right?”

“Oh yeah! I was eating it for lunch, huh?” Galo said thinking back on it. “The pizza here is really good, so I eat it a lot.”

“Really? Isn’t that bad for you?”

“Maybe? But it’s so good that sometimes I can’t help getting it! I’ll end up here subconsciously too! Plus with my job I get a nice workout so I guess I just don’t worry about it!"

"I'll have to pick your brain then. I have to admit I don't eat pizza very often. Not really a huge fan, but if you recommend it..."

"Do you want to try some of mine then? I don't mind sharing a piece."

Lio blinked in surprise as Galo opened the pizza box revealing a completely ornate pizza. It was much more involved than anything he had seen before, with what seemed like mounds of toppings, lots of sauce, and extra extra cheese. Carefully, he took a piece and cautiously ate a bite. To his surprise it was pretty good, albeit a little much for one person to eat alone.

“Oh, I should get you a plate! Hold on-”

“Don’t worry about it. I can handle a slice of pizza.” Lio replied before he took another bite. “And you say you eat this all the time?”

“Yeah! It’s good, right?” 

Lio nodded, taking another bite. “But I don’t think I could handle eating it all by myself. I’m sure Meis and Gueira would enjoy this too.” Lio noticed Galo’s confused look at the two names he said and smiled. “The two people I’m here with. You know, the whiny eaters?”

“Oh yeah! I remember seeing them. So are you out getting dinner or something?”

“No. I just decided to walk around. Since we’re new in town, I thought the best thing to do would be to take a quick tour and see if there’s anything worth remembering.”

Galo nodded, remembering his thought process from earlier. “Well, this isn’t a whole lot of stuff here, so it won’t really be hard to remember stuff I guess.”

“Well, you’re here, so that’s a start.”

Galo felt his face heat up as his pizza almost slipped from his hand, stunned from that statement. He slightly registered Lio’s laugh as he took another bite from his slice of pizza.

“You seem to be the type of person who takes things incredibly seriously. You have to be careful. People could take advantage of that.”

“H-hey! Don’t mess with me like that! I almost dropped my pizza! I can’t wait around to have another one made!” Galo said, finally recovering. He still felt his ears hot against his head, and he just knew they were letting off steam in the cool winter air. He watched as Lio finished his slice, licking his fingertips in finality. 

“That was a pretty good slice. I guess I’ll bring them here next time we can’t figure out what to eat. So, since you say there’s not a lot to do in this city, tell me what we can do.”

“I can show you guys around on my next day off if you want. I mean, there’s still some stuff around here, but a lot of it is like museums and stuff.”

“That doesn’t sound like ‘nothing’ to me. I’ll take you up on that. Do you have a piece of paper?”

Galo looked around, finding only the receipt taped on the top of the pizza box he was holding. He pushed the box towards Lio. “This is all I got. Why?”

Lio took out a pen from his jacket pocket and took the box from Galo, situating it between his torso and hand. “So I can give you my phone number. Just call me when you have time and we can meet up.”

“O-oh, yeah? That sounds good to me!”

“Great. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to finish my walk. I wouldn’t want to keep you away from your pizza any longer.”

Before Galo could respond, Lio was across the street from him, leaving him by himself with his pizza slowly getting colder. He started on his way back to his apartment, still a little flustered and made a point to put the receipt in his pocket before he accidentally lost it. His mind was so lost in thought, and his heart was pounding at a distractingly loud beat. It barely registered that he was at his doorstep, putting his key in the lock. He wandered over to his table, and sat at it, still slightly dazed as he took the receipt out of his pocket. The number looked foreign, but he knew it wasn’t a prank or anything. He idly picked a slice of pizza and gnawed as he continued to stare at the phone number.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this chapter! If you feel so inclined, feel free to support me on my Kofi (no pressure) at:
> 
> https://ko-fi.com/dominiquesade


	3. Chapter 3

It took a few days before they could meet up with each other. They had shared a few text messages and called each other once or twice, but the two of them finally settled on a time and place deciding to meet in front of the convenience store. When Galo arrived he was finally able to get a better look at Lio’s two companions. One had hair all the way down his back and covered one of his eyes. The other had messy brown hair with an almost intense look. They were both taller than Lio, but that wasn’t really a huge bar to pass. When he walked up to them, it was almost like he could feel an air of intimidation radiating from them. Like they were Lio’s bodyguards or something. They even had matching black leather pants and jackets, but who was he to judge?

Lio looked up from his phone when he noticed his two guests perk up with Galo coming closer and gently touched the two on their shoulders. “Well, it’s about time you showed up, Galo. We were waiting.”

“Sorry! I got caught up with something!” He ran his hand through his hair in embarrassment, still slightly uneasy about the two additional people. But the atmosphere seemed to have changed completely with Lio acknowledging him. 

“This is Meis,” Lio said, gesturing to the long haired man, “and Gueira.” He finished by gesturing to the man with the messy hair. They both quickly took one of their hands out of their pockets for a quick wave. “We’re ready to see the sights now.”

“Oh and we can get pizza for lunch! It’s gonna be great!”

The four of them started their way throughout the city, taking the bus around as Galo gave a guided tour explaining all of the different activities. There was an abundance of labs and research institutes, many of which weren’t necessarily open for touring. But there were many stores and a few museums both for art and technology, which Lio seemed to be interested in. Meis took interest in the libraries that Galo showed off and Gueira’s ears perked up when he mentioned the few group activity things. The clock struck noon before Galo really knew it, so he made sure to get back to the pizza shop quickly.

“If you guys grab a table, I’ll order the pizza!” Galo said with a big smile before disappearing inside the restaurant. Amused, Lio did just that with Meis and Gueira following.

“When did you get so close to this guy, Boss?” Gueira questioned, slumping back in his seat. “He was just some rando, right?”

“Well, he was invasively helpful and I guess I just couldn’t help myself.” Lio replied with a shrug. “I think it’s charming.”

“What happens if we have to go, though? We usually try not to leave any traces…” Meis replied, his voice low and serious. Lio sighed and heard his own uneasiness. That was always a possibility. With the way they traveled and the circumstances that usually caused it, they had to be ready to leave at a moment’s notice.

To be quite honest, though, Lio was tired of it. Even if it was going to be for a short time, he wanted to have some sort of fun. Maybe make a friend and be somewhat normal. And even though he didn’t know Galo well, he did make him feel like that.

“We’ll just cross that bridge when we come to it.”

Galo quickly found the table that the trio was seated at and took the seat across from Lio with a smile. “I know it’s not a lot around here, but it’s still a pretty okay place to live!”

“That laser tag place seems really cool actually.” Gueira replied with an easy smile. “I’m kind of the best when it comes to stuff like that.”

“Yeah, right.” Meis said as he leaned back in his chair. “You have two left feet and a terrible aim.”

Galo watched as the two started a slight argument, while Lio simply sat back and watched. He looked incredibly amused from watching his friends argue. But there was something else on his face besides amusement. He couldn’t put his finger on it though. Before he could try to even begin to try to figure it out, Lio turned towards him, derailing his train of thought.

“Thank you for taking time out of your day off to show us around.”

“Oh, it’s no problem! Part of my job is helping people out anyways, it’s just the days are different.”

“What is it that you do?”

“I’m a firefighter! Pretty cool job, right?”

The background argument immediately stopped and all three of the out of towners looked at Galo with widened eyes. He tilted his head to the side in confusion, blinking once. At that moment, Lio broke out into laughter. In all honesty, it surprised not just Galo, but also Gueira and Meis. They hadn’t heard him laugh like that in a long time.

Galo gave a slightly embarrassed look. “Did I say something weird?”

“No, you didn’t.” Lio said, laughing with a genuine smile. “It was just a bit of a surprise. I think it’s pretty great that you’re a firefighter.”

“Thanks! It keeps me busy, though!” Galo explained. “So, this was a day off well spent! I feel like I’ve accomplished something!”

“Glad we could help.” Lio replied, calming from his laughing fit.

The pizza was brought out to the table with four cups of water accompanying it. Galo watched as his guests enjoyed their pizza, happy that he could at least show the best parts of his city to tourists.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this chapter! If you feel so inclined, feel free to support me on my Kofi (no pressure) at:
> 
> https://ko-fi.com/dominiquesade


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jan. 9, 2021 note: So, the first full week of the year was a rough one both personally and generally. So I thought it would be fine to just put two chapters at once for today to make myself feel a little better and hopefully help you guys in a small way. Please enjoy!

After their lunch break, he showed the group of people to the rest of the city until Meis and Gueira decided that they were tired of the tour. Cautiously, they left Lio and Galo alone.

“You guys must be close…” Galo commented when the two were gone. “They’re almost like your bodyguards or something.”

“They’re just very protective, that’s all.” Lio responded as they walked around the city. The sun was starting to dip behind the horizon, indicating how long they had been touring the area. 

“It’s good to have people like that in your life!” Galo smiled. “So, how long are you guys planning on staying here? It’s a weird city to choose…”

“We don’t know. We actually came here because it was so far out of the way.”

“So have you done a lot of traveling around?”

Lio nodded. “This is the latest stay on our road trip. I hope this is our last stop to be honest, but you never know. Things change all the time.”

“How many places have you been before here?”

“I’ve lost count. But it’s been a lot. At least ten?”

The two found a bench overlooking the main street.The street lamps slowly turned themselves on as they competed with the lights from the cars passing by. “You sound like you’ve been on the road for a while…” Galo mused. He couldn’t even imagine being on a trip longer than a week.

Lio leaned back on the bench, watching as the traffic started to pick up which indicated the end of a workday. “It’s been a longer trip than I hoped. But life doesn’t always go as planned, so I expected some challenges.”

Galo got the feeling there was something behind the words that he spoke. He figured, though, that it wasn’t really his place to ask about it. He was still a stranger to him after all.

“Well, if you did go back on the road again, would we still keep in touch?” Galo asked almost timidly. It was a feeling he rarely experienced, and he could barely determine what it was. He even felt it weird to look at him as he asked the question, and defaulted to watching the cars pass them by instead.

“Would you miss me, Galo Thymos?”

Galo heard the playfulness in Lio’s voice and turned to see him smiling with the question. Galo felt his face warm up slightly at the sound of his full name.

“I told you it’s weird to call me by my full name! And… I don’t know! It’d be cool to keep in touch with a friend who’s always on the road, you know?”

“I’d do the best that I could. But I can’t promise anything. You’re the first person I’ve found interesting through our constant moving around though, so I’d try for you.”

The two fell into a comfortable silence as they continued to watch the scenery. Even though they weren’t talking, Galo was really enjoying just sitting with Lio. It was relaxing for some reason.

“Hey, I have another place I can show you.”

Lio looked at Galo with slight confusion playing on his face. “Really?”

Galo nodded enthusiastically. “Yup! But… you can’t tell anyone about it! Only one other person knows about it, so if you promise not to say anything-”

“My lips are sealed.”

“Okay! Great!” Galo said, jumping up from his place on the bench. “Give me, like, fifteen minutes! I’ll be back with my bike and we can head over!”

Lio smiled and waved before he ran down the street. He continued to watch the traffic pass by as he thought about the day that he had. If he thought about it, it was the most fun he had experienced in a long time. At least since he had started his road trip with Meis and Gueira. He knew that he really had Galo to thank for it. He was just so lively and earnest, and while he could be loud and pushy at times, he seemed to have the ability to make it endearing. If they had to leave, he knew it would be hard to find someone like him, if that were even possible. And he would want to at least try to keep in contact with him. But he knew Meis was right: it was best that they didn’t leave any kind of trail.

Before Lio could sink deeper into thought, he heard the sound of a motorbike get closer and closer to them. Galo stopped in front of him, a large smile on his face as he beckoned Lio towards him. Lio smiled as he got up from his seat and crossed his arms as he walked over to him.

“This is your motorcycle?”

“Sort of. I’m borrowing it from the station! But I’m the only one that uses it, since I usually need to rush around for work. Get on!”

Lio swung his leg over the bike and held onto Galo’s waist. When Galo was sure that his passenger was secure, he sped off. Lio noticed that they were leaving the city limits, easily going into the forest surrounding it. In all honesty, he was surprised that he hadn’t really taken notice of it, especially with how quiet and dark it was. He could see why someone would want to spend time out there. 

Galo continued to drive until a large lake came into view. Around this time of year, it was completely frozen over, making it even colder. But it also kept people away, which gave him a chance to be alone with his rapid fire thoughts. He parked his bike within walking distance of the lake, leading Lio to it’s edge.

“This is it! My special thinking place! It’s pretty nice out here! Sometimes I even go skating, you know?”

“By yourself?”

Galo shrugged. “Sometimes. Other times, my friend Aina comes along with me. But if things get too crazy around work or something I come here!”

Lio found a flat place to sit down at and tucked his legs, resting his arms on his knees. “This place is pretty great Galo. How do you keep it secret?”

“I’m sure people come out here.” Galo responded sitting next to Lio. “But whenever I come out here I never see anyone else. So I like to think it’s my secret place to relax and think.”

Lio nodded as he continued to look out at the frozen lake. This was the most relaxed he had felt in a long time. He honestly couldn’t remember the last time he wasn’t worried about something. To be able to not think about anything and just take in the quiet of nature was something he never even really got a chance to do.

“Would it be okay if I came here too?”

“Oh yeah! I mean, you can’t really take a bus out here or anything… But I could pick you up and bring you!”

“Well, believe it or not, I have a motorcycle of my own. But I’ll take you up on that every once in a while.”

“What? Why didn’t you tell me? Now I feel like I kidnapped your or something!”

“You worry too much. I told you about that serious streak of yours.”

Galo leaned back on his hands before glancing at Lio. He really was handsome… And the fact that he was so different from anyone he had met before was just intriguing. He seemed to have some kind of quiet fortitude that Galo just couldn’t understand, even though he respected it greatly. 

“Since you showed me this, can I show you something?”

Lio’s question derailed his train of thought and he nodded wordlessly. There was a different expression in Lio’s eye, which looked happy with another emotion. Maybe relief? It could have been that and it was too dark to really see, but it was an expression that he really hadn’t seen on his face before. He watched as Lio readjusted his seat and held his hand out in front of him, fingers stretched out. The next second, there was a small flame emitting from each of his fingertips. Nothing larger than what a lighter could give off, but it was a flame. Galo quickly exchanged looks between Lio and his hand, still trying to register what was going on. It didn’t look like regular orange fire, but instead gave off a turquoise color with a touch of purple.

“Is- I mean… What-? Is this a magic trick?? How are you doing that??”

“It’s something I was born with. I’ve been able to do this since I was young.”

“Does it hurt??”

“It doesn’t hurt me. I only feel it as being warm, but it’s hotter than a normal flame.” Lio said as he closed his hand, snuffing it out. “I can make it bigger, but with you being a firefighter and us being in a forest… It’s probably not a great idea.” Lio placed his elbows back on his knees and smiled at Galo. “I hope I didn’t scare you too much.”

“No! No, I was a little surprised, but I think it’s cool! And everyone in your family can do it??”

“Yeah. But it’s not just my family. Where I’m from, every other person can do something like this. Sometimes it’s stronger and sometimes it’s not. It just depends from person to person.”

Galo nodded, his mind still racing. There were so many questions running through his mind, but there was really only one that he continued to come back to.

“But why show me? I’m just some guy…”

“You’re kind. I haven’t experienced that in a very long time. And I feel like I can trust you.” Lio said quietly, looking at Galo with a small smile. “I’m sure that I won’t regret it.”

“Well, I’m pretty good at keeping secrets. So, I won’t tell anyone.” Galo said with a confident nod. “But you said where you’re from, it's pretty normal?”

Lio nodded with a wistful sigh. “Yeah. It’s a country across a couple borders. We basically keep to ourselves, so the world doesn’t think about us much. And we keep it a secret that we can use fire. It’s pretty nice. I’ve been away from home for awhile, but I can still remember playing with everyone and learning how to use our powers. It was fun.”

“So why did you leave?”

Lio snuggled into himself a little more, still gazing at the lake. “A lot of reasons. Maybe I’ll tell them to you later.” He felt his chest hurt as he thought back to his home. He missed it. Just being in a home that felt like his own, and not constantly thinking of the next area to run to was something that he missed greatly. But for now, this was the hand he had to play.

The next half hour was spent quietly talking with each other. But Galo was starting to get cold, even with his heavy jacket on, and they decided that the next best course of action would be to end their tour day. They drove back into the city and stopped in front of the convenience store they had started their day at.

“I could take you back to wherever you’re staying if you wanted.” Galo said as Lio swung his leg off the vehicle. He watched as Lio shook his head, stuffing his hands in his pockets. His shiny black leather jacket reflected the street lamps, indicating how late it had gotten. 

“I can make my way back just fine. You don’t have to worry.”

“Well… when can I see you again?”

Lio shrugged. “You have my number and I have yours. I’m sure we can arrange something without too much trouble. Or we can just meet at your secret hideout.”

“It’s yours now too, though!” Galo said confidently with a thumbs up. He watched as Lio chuckled at his response. 

“Thanks for sharing. I’ll see you again, Galo Thymos.”

Galo watched Lio until he was out of sight before taking the bike back to his apartment complex. He flung himself on his bed, recounting the day in his head. His stomach flipped every time his mind wandered back to the time he and Lio spent together at the lake. Turning his head to the window, which overlooked the busy city, he flexed and clenched his fingers. That fire… It was really pretty. And it matched Lio. He sighed, slowly sitting up. Was he really falling for this guy? He… couldn’t say no, but he’d feel really stupid if he was in it alone. His cheeks turned hot as he kept thinking about it. What if he was going to have to leave again? What would he do then? With that thought, his stomach dropped to the floor. He’d accept it, but… he didn’t want to think about it. Not now at least.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this chapter! If you feel so inclined, feel free to support me on my Kofi (no pressure) at:
> 
> https://ko-fi.com/dominiquesade


	5. Chapter 5

Within the next few weeks, it was very clear that Galo and Lio were becoming closer. While there were instances where they would spend time playing around, either going to play laser tag or running around in museums, most of their time together was spent at the frozen lake, sitting in the dark, quietly talking about their days or Lio’s home. Galo found himself genuinely looking forward to the times that he got to see Lio. Members of his team even noticed how he had gotten even more energetic, much to the chagrin of every other person who had to deal with him. 

“Galo, you seem to be in a good mood lately.” Aina mentioned, the two walking home after their shift. She watched as his face turned into a large smile, even larger than the ones he normally gave. 

“Really? I didn’t think it was obvious!”

“Galo, your expression gives everything away constantly. So, what’s been going on? Usually you stay after your shift for who knows what, but you’ve been leaving on time pretty consistently.”

“Oh, it’s nothing! I just found something that’s been pretty important recently!”

“Something, or someone?”

Aina couldn’t help but laugh at the shock that registered on Galo’s face. “Your faces are so funny. You have the worst tell, I swear.” 

“Whatever! You don’t know what you’re talking about!”

“I thought I heard you, Galo.” 

Galo turned to find Lio looking at him with a curious look. He smiled and ran up to him, leaving Aina to wonder about who the young man was. She really hadn’t seen Galo light up like that since the first day he started at the station. He was always energetic, but this guy really brought out the spark in him. She watched as he looked past Galo’s puppy-like personality and nodded towards Aina.

“Well, I don’t want to interrupt you two.” Lio said, giving Galo a smirk. “I was actually on my way to pick up a snack.”

“Oh, you aren’t interrupting anything!” Galo replied. “We were just on our way home from work! This is Aina! I think I told you about her! She’s the friend who also knows about the place!”

Lio took another look at Aina and gave a smile. “It’s nice to meet you. I’m Lio.”

“Good to meet you too.” She smiled. She watched as Lio turned to Galo, answering any questions that the later levied. There was a certain air around Lio. He seemed almost at a level that she really hadn’t seen before, except for on TV. She got lost in her thoughts, brought out only by Galo calling her name.

“Sorry, what’s up?”

“We were talking about meeting up at the lake in a little while. Did you want to come too?”

“Oh, thanks! But I’m kind of tired today.”

“You sure? The more the merrier!” Galo replied, and Lio nodded almost expectantly. While she was still incredibly curious about Lio and wanted to learn more, she also didn’t want to be a third wheel of any kind. She saw the way he acted towards his new friend, and while she didn’t know Lio, it seemed to be reciprocated. It would be kind of weird to be the person intruding on them.

“I’m sure. Just let me know the next time you plan on going. I’ll meet you there.”

“Next time, then.” Lio replied. “I’m looking forward to it.” He turned to Galo. “I’m still going to get snacks so I guess I’ll meet you there.”

“Can you get me-”

“I know what you want. I’ll see you in a few.”

Galo and Aina watched as Lio continued down the street in his original trajectory. When she was sure he was gone, Aina dramatically turned to Galo.

“What the hell, Galo? You get a handsome boyfriend and don’t say anything? That’s lame!” Aina watched as his face turned red and he quickly held his hands up in surrender. 

“What? He’s not my boyfriend! He’s just from out of town so I showed him and his friends around, that’s all!”

“And one of those places happens to be your secret thinking spot? The one that I only found because I followed you after you rushed off somewhere with a hot head?”

Galo scratched the back of his head nervously. “Well, he said he didn’t know how long he was going to be here, so I just figured it couldn’t hurt right?”

“Go have fun.” Aina said tapping Galo on the arm. “But I expect you to tell me about this Lio character later. He seems different from the usual visitors we have around here.”

Galo nodded before changing his direction to find his vehicle to get to the lake. She had to admit that she was amused at how quickly he rushed off to go find Lio. He was always incredibly energetic, but she had never seen him as worked up as he was with the blond stranger. It made her heart happy.

Galo made his way to the lake, easily finding Lio seated at the lake’s edge. He found his place next to him, where Lio easily gave him a bag of chips.

“I’m surprised you knew exactly what I wanted!” Galo said happily, enthusiastically opening the bag. He offered some to Lio before grabbing a handful for himself. 

“Well, we’ve spent enough time together that I can read you pretty well.”

“I guess you’re right.”

“Your friend seems nice.” Lio stated as he watched the lake. “I’m looking forward to being able to talk to her. I can’t wait to ask her about embarrassing stories about you.”

“I don’t have embarrassing stories! I’m totally awesome!”

Lio responded with a simple chuckle before reaching for another handful of chips. Lio continued to look on the lake in the cold of the night. The fact that he was so relaxed was something that kept him on edge. It even caused his friends to worry about being too comfortable. Unfortunately, he knew that it wasn’t that easy. He was always ready to leave. In case circumstances changed because they always did. That’s why it was always easier not to make attachments. But here he was, with an attachment.

He realized that for some reason couldn’t keep himself away. 

“You know, I never thought I’d make a friend in any of the places I visited.”

Galo turned to him, slightly surprised at the seriousness of the comment. “Really?”

“Yeah. I figured it would be the same here, but then you decided to force your way into my line of vision.”

“Hey, I wouldn’t say I did that!”

“Because you were so sneaky when we first talked at the store.”

Galo felt his face heat up and his stomach start to flutter. He really did think that he had the situation handled. But maybe Aina was right about the whole ‘easy to read’ thing… “I don’t think I’m that obvious...”

“The point is, I’m glad that I made a friend. And I’m glad that you were that friend.”

“Yeah? I’m glad too then!”

The night passed slowly and quietly, both of them enjoying each other’s company. Almost too soon, it was over, with the two of them reluctantly parting ways. Galo made his way back to his apartment, and his mind was racing. And he felt his stomach flutter at Aina’s use of the word ‘boyfriend’. It wasn’t that he didn’t feel something when it came to Lio, but to say that he was his boyfriend? That was just… Well, he had never really been in that kind of situation before. But the word itself made him happy. Despite himself he was thinking about what would happen if he did stay, and they could start a relationship… He sighed roughly. His imagination was kind of taking over, but… he couldn’t help it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this chapter! If you feel so inclined, feel free to support me on my Kofi (no pressure) at:
> 
> https://ko-fi.com/dominiquesade


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll be frank: this story kind of morphed into it's own thing, and I kind of just went with it. I hope it's not too much of a change for anyone!

The next day, work proceeded normally. But about an hour into his shift, his boss, Captain Ignis came in looking incredibly annoyed, even behind his sunglasses and seemingly cool demeanor. He had his large arms crossed as if holding them down so that he wouldn’t strike anything. Closely following behind was a tall man, confidence brimming from every step he took. He had a large, almost sadistic looking smile as he looked over the crew from the station, revealing teeth that looked like they had been filed to a point. He was covered in some kind of heavy duty armor that Galo had never seen before.

“Okay, everyone! Gather ‘round!” Ignis’ voice was loud throughout the fire station. It was only a matter of time until everyone was gathered around, including Aina, a big man with an identifiable backwards red baseball cap and large overalls, a slim man decorated with glasses, mint green hair, and a serious face, and finally a short, blonde woman with pink streaks in her hair, space buns and an oversized lab coat which covered her punk street clothes.

“So, this is the piddly Burning Rescue fire department? Just as puny as I was told…” The man said with a pompous voice. Immediately, Galo’s eyebrows knitted together. He already hated this person and he had to stop himself from forcing the guy out.

“Just tell us what you need and get out.” Ignis replied.

“Yeah, yeah…” The man said looking at the group of people. “My name is Vulcan. I’m kind of a… diplomat from another country. And I come bringing gifts!”

"Oh yeah? What kind of gifts?" Aina questioned.

"I'm glad you asked! I'm actually after some important people! Dangerous people. So you'll need the tools to take care of them." Vulcan replied as he handed off a large suitcase. Inside were different types of high tech guns of all different sizes along with what looked like cuffs that covered the wrists and hands. The blonde pulled down goggles that had decorated her head and looked closely at the weaponry. 

"And what the hell is this?"

"Well, little elf-"

"It's Lucia to you."

“It doesn’t matter. What this is, is a type of gun that is loaded with special bullets. See these dangerous terrorists have unique powers.” Vulcan said with a ruthless smile, showing off his teeth, which looked like they were sharpened to a point. He looked incredibly menacing, and even sent a slight shiver down Galo’s back.

The mint haired main raised an eyebrow as he readjusted his glasses. “What do these unique powers consist of?”

“Nice question, Four Eyes!”

“Remi…”

“Again, it doesn’t matter. These guys can make fire. Hotter than normal fire. They could burn down your city in an instant if they wanted to.” Vulcan replied his smirk never leaving his face. “And with you being firefighters I figured you would want to know, right?”

“What’s the catch?” The man with the ballcap asked.

“Good question, big guy!”

“Varys is my-”

“The catch is!” Vulcan started, interrupting Varys. “My boss wants them brought back to me as soon as possible. Alive. They have some things they need to answer for, you know? Legal things.”

Galo felt his stomach drop to the floor. He could feel his fingers grow numb as he continued to listen to the conversation that was happening in front of them. Criminals? That didn’t sound right… Not in the slightest. All three of them didn’t seem like they could commit any kind of crimes. His mind was reeling, and it was confusing. He felt a hand on her shoulder, and snapped out of it when he saw Aina with a concerned look. Vulcan noticed it as well.

"What's wrong? Gettin' scared? I'd be too, if I was weak like you going against terrorists! But don't worry! These weapons’ll keep you nice and safe!"

“I don’t get scared. I just think it’s weird that you just randomly came in and asked us to do this. Are you too afraid to do it yourself?”

“Galo…” Aina whispered carefully. This man seemed incredibly dangerous, and possibly unhinged. She knew that Galo’s impulsiveness would get him hurt in some way, though she didn’t know how. She could also tell that he was riled up by something, though she couldn’t put her finger on it. But it wouldn’t help if he ran his mouth so much that he got arrested or something…

“Oh, you’ve got balls, kid.” Vulcan smiled as he stepped up to him. “I hate that. So you should watch yourself before you get hurt…”

“That’s enough!”

Everyone in the room looked to see Captain Ignis readjusting his sunglasses before crossing his arms again. “It’s time for you to leave. If we see anything happening, we’ll report it to you.”

“Perfect.” Vulcan practically spat out, still watching Galo. “Then I’ll be waiting for results.” He turned, making his way towards the door. Ignis watched as he left and turned back to his slightly shaken crew.

“We’ll be fine.”

The rest of the day was spent testing their new equipment. The handguns were normal, but the ammo consisted of special bullets that froze on contact. There were also quick-freezing cuffs that would keep anyone on fire powered down and able to be contained. Leaving them vulnerable. Weak. Just the thought of it made Galo feel numb. The rest of his shift felt like he was floating through it, and everyone talking sounded muffled, like he was drowning. It was even hard to breathe.

“Galo!”

He felt himself jump at the loud sound of his name. Turning, he found Aina looking at him with concern in her eyes. 

“You okay? You’ve been really weird ever since that guy came and dropped those weird guns.”

“I’m… I don’t know… There’s something I have to-”

Aina held up her hand to stop him from continuing. “Why don’t we go somewhere else to talk? Wanna go to the lake?”

Galo nodded and watched as Aina grabbed her belongings. But what would he even be able to say? It wasn’t his secret to tell, but he couldn’t keep this under wraps forever. The main issue was that Lio, Meis and Gueira were now people of interest. They could possibly be turned in at some point. He wasn’t even aware if a proper investigation had been launched or if gear was quietly given to first responders with the order to just deal with the problem. Too many thoughts were running in his head, and it was almost dizzying. 

The two made their way to the lake, and were surprised to see Lio already there, enjoying the quiet. Galo’s heart started beating even harder. He didn’t know how he was going to tell Lio about the man and didn’t know how he was going to ask for the answers that he needed. All he knew was that he wanted to help him.

Lio serenely looked up at Galo and Aina, but his face immediately became concerned when he saw Galo’s. Getting up from his place on the ground, he put his hand on Galo’s arm, partially trying to warm it. “What’s wrong?”

“I have to ask you something. It’s important.”

“Okay. What is it? You’re being weird…”

Aina sighed. “He started acting like this after we got some weird diplomat from another country in the station. Said he was looking for some criminals or something.”

Lio’s eyes widened as he looked at Aina. “What?”

“Yeah. He left almost as soon as he came, and didn’t give us much to go on other than they have some weird fire powers. Even gave us weapons to deal with it.” Aina said as she crossed her arms. “I figured whatever that was about spooked him. I mean, it gets to me too, honestly. How is that even possible?”

Lio turned his gaze back to Galo, looking into his eyes. It was at that moment, Galo knew. Lio was going to say he had to leave. That he had been in one place much longer than he had intended. He understood why he and his group moved around so much.

“I’ve stayed here too long… We have to go.”

“Wait! Just tell me what’s going on! Maybe I can help!”

Aina looked at Lio with confusion. “Wait, do you have something to do with this guy?”

“It’s not that I don’t think you can help. I just don’t want you to get involved with my mess. The people that guy is involved with are dangerous and… I should have never let my guard down… This is my fault. I need to get Meis and Gueira and get out of here.”

“Wait, you’re the one these people are after? You’re the criminal?” Aina voiced, confusion playing on her voice. Lio looked at Aina, a determined look on his face.

“The only crime I committed was not letting my uncle kill me.”

Lio felt Galo’s large hand envelope his own. Looking at him, Lio could see the concern in his eyes. He sighed, took his hands from Galo’s, crossing his arms in front of him. It almost looked like he was holding himself together.

“Would you believe me if I told you I was a prince?”

“A prince…?”

Lio nodded. “Remember when I told you I was from another country? I’m actually heir to the throne. My father… he became incredibly sick a few years back, and my uncle took it upon himself to run the country while he was recovering before I even had a chance to assume the role. He and his allies convinced the powers that be that I was still too inexperienced for the throne. But it was pretty evident that my uncle was the one who was making my father sick. And it was my father who told me to run. Guess Dad knew that if he was willing to kill his own brother, he wouldn’t be above killing his nephew to keep his hold on some type of power.” 

“How long have you guys been on the run?” Galo questioned.

“A couple years. We were smuggled over, no questions asked. And since then, I’ve been on the run with Meis and Gueira. I was hoping they would finally give up, but we’ve never been in a place long enough to actually make a cohesive plan to go back home.”

“Do you know what his end goal is?” Aina asked, deciding that at least some of his story had to be true. She was still confused about the whole powers thing, and the cold wasn’t helping her think. 

“I can only think of him wanting more power. It’s not unusual for my people to control fire where I’m from. But the world doesn’t know about that. He could easily take what he wants by using an army of citizens.”

“Is there anything we can do to stop him? Is there any way we can help you? You can’t keep running from him like this!”

Lio looked up from the ground he was staring at, and his face looked nothing but tired. His eyes flickered to the shivering Aina and walked over to her. Putting his hands together, he made a small flame and gently moved his hands closer to her.

“Here. You look cold.”

Aina’s eyes widened as they quickly shifted between Lio’s hands and his face. Tentatively, she put her hands next to his, finding it quite warm. He gave her a small smile before turning to Galo. “I’ve been trying to plan something, but everything turns to rage. He’s not just strong; he’s smart. If I make one wrong move, he’ll destroy me. And have fun doing it...”

“Then we don’t make a wrong move.” Aina responded. “We figure out a way to get to his weakness and we take him down.”

Lio widened his eyes at Aina’s declaration. “I couldn’t-”

“Too bad, because we’re helping!” Galo replied easily overtaking Lio’s voice. “That guy that came by the station today was way too excited to get his hands on you guys. Made me want to deck him in the face.”

“Thank you. But you don’t even know me.”

Aina smiled at Lio. “Well, Galo knows you. And he may be an idiot, but he’s a pretty good judge of character. And if he’s willing to trust you, so am I.”

Lio looked at Galo, who gave a determined nod. He couldn’t help but feel a mix of determination, anxiety and for the first time in a long time… hope. But the next obstacle would be to tell Meis and Gueira. To tell them that this would be their last move in one way or another. He hated how much he had to run from his uncle. And he knew it wouldn’t end until one of them was dead. He didn’t know how it would end, but he did know one thing: He was angry.

He had always been angry. From the moment he left his home. When he was with Galo, he was able to stop thinking about his situation, if only for a little bit. But when he was by himself, or he saw his friends’ faces, the ones that had forsaken their home to help protect him… They deserved better. And he’d be damned if they didn’t at least get to see their homes again.

Lio watched as Galo and Aina made their way to Galo’s motorcycle, leaving Lio alone yet again. He looked at his phone, specifically typing in the name ‘Kray Foresight’. It was a name that he constantly searched at least three times a day. As a leader, he couldn’t really keep his movements quiet. That’s how he figured out when he would need to prepare to leave. Plus, he had kept a habit of not staying a place longer than a month - a couple weeks if things were too quiet. But he hadn’t been doing it for at least the past week, which was his downfall. There was a small news update saying that he would be coming to the city at the middle of the next month for some ‘official business’. And with it being the middle of the month, that wasn’t a whole lot of time. His stomach knotted like he was falling from a high cliff. 

At least he had allies. But how far would that take him…?

Lio made his way back to his hotel room, where Meis and Gueira were waiting. Looking up from their individual activities, the both gave a look of relief. 

“Boss, I really wish you wouldn’t just run off by yourself.” Gueira sighed.

“We’ve been found.”

Meis felt his eyes widen. He jumped up from his bed, a panic and dread setting in. He had dropped the ball! How could he be so irresponsible. He was joined by Gueira, who exuded the same energy. It took everything he had to not erupt into a flame of anxiety. The look on Lio’s face seemed to confirm a certain frenzied emotion that mirrored what they were feeling.

“I’m sorry boss….” Gueira said with an anxious sigh. “I should have been more careful… Do we have time to skip town?”

“From what I gather, we don’t. Vulcan is already here giving weapons to first responders.” Lio said quietly. “We’ve run out of time. This is my fault. I was so distracted that I didn’t even think of keeping an ear to the ground.”

“We all were.” Meis stated. “But I’m sure we can still find a way out of town.”

Lio looked at them. “I’m tired. I’m not doing this anymore. This ‘running for my life’ thing. I’ve never liked it.”

“So… what do we do? Fight him?” 

Lio nodded with determination. “We knew it would come down to this at some point. We planned for something like this happening sometime down the road. But this time we may have some help. Galo was the one who warned me, along with a friend of his. I’d rather not drag people into my fight. If I were being honest, I’d rather you two-”

“We’re not going anywhere, Boss.” Meis cut him off. “We left with you, and we’ll be with you ‘til the end.”

Lio smiled, but he knew beneath there was an anxiety that he couldn’t begin to describe. But he knew where it came from. His uncle had the ability to effectively make him alone. That would be a fate worse than death in his life. He had already lost his father, and his home. All he had were his loved ones. And Kray could take them easily. No. He couldn’t think of that now. He couldn’t let them know the worst possibility. He wanted to give them hope. And he wanted to have hope himself.


	7. Chapter 7

“Aina…” Galo started as he walked her to her apartment. He leaned against the wall, and she noted that he looked so stressed. More stressed than she had ever seen him. “You don’t have to put yourself in trouble for me.”

“Well, you’ve gotten yourself into way more trouble than ever with this predicament huh?” Aina said as she made her way to her kitchenette. Pouring a glass of water she offered it to Galo before pouring one for herself. “You finally get a boyfriend and it turns out he’s a prince on the run. I knew there was something up with him...”

Galo sighed, confused more than he had ever been before in his life. “He said that he was hoping he didn’t have to move again.”

“Well, if we play our cards right, he won’t have to. But… I think we should tell Captain Ignis.”

“Are you sure?”

Aina sighed as she sat down on her couch. Galo followed suit, leaning over to rest his elbows on his knees. “You saw how the Captain reacted to that Vulcan guy. He hated him just as much as we did. I’m sure if we explain everything we can make it work.”

“I can’t just tell Lio’s story without him being there. And I don’t know if we can convince him to go to the authorities, even if he is our boss.”

Aina leaned back, looking at her cup. “Then I’ll talk to the Captain. I’ll try to explain it as best as I can without giving away too much information. After I know everything is good, we can bring Lio in to tell his side of the story.”

“What if we need a plan B?”

“Then we take what we can get and see if we can get extra help. I can probably get my sister to look at the weapons, but she wouldn’t be as fast and into it as Lucia. But it depends on when that guy comes back with Lio’s uncle…”

“We don’t have a choice, I guess…” 

“You have tomorrow off right? I’ll talk to him first thing tomorrow and let you know what the Captain says. But I think he’s going to want to talk to Lio and his friends. He has a way of sniffing out liars. Probably why he didn’t like that Vulcan guy.” 

Galo looked at his friend with a more relieved look. He was happy to at least have some kind of plan in his back pocket, but still… With more people, there was a higher chance that things would go sideways. But if it meant that he could help Lio in some way, he’d be willing to take those odds.

Galo honestly didn’t even remember going to sleep, but he did remember sleeping deeply. He woke up to the sound of a low thunder. He picked up his phone and saw that he had a text message from Lio, making him sit up immediately to read it. He said he wanted to meet with him whenever he time, to which he responded that he’d be free all day.

He wondered what Lio would want to talk about. He had been at a stand still with making any kind of plan, but part of him thought that maybe he just needed something to do. Sitting at home, twirling his thumbs wasn’t something that he liked to do, and he felt like Lio was the same way. Swinging his legs over the side of his bed he walked to his window, watching the snow gently fall, piling up on the window sill. It sort of fit the mood of the day, if he were being honest. 

Roughly, Galo ruffled his hair. The best thing to do would probably get ready. He really didn’t feel like staying inside, even if it meant he would be getting soaked. About twenty minutes later, he was out of his apartment building with a hood over his head. His mind kept around in a circle. It would all come back to the question of what would be next? And then he would be hit with the reality that he just didn’t know what the next step would be. How could you be prepared for something he didn’t know?

Out of habit, Galo made his way to the convenience store near his apartment complex. He felt himself unable to really go inside. He didn’t even realize how long he had been standing outside of the store in the snow, before he felt it stop. Looking around to see if the snow had stopped falling he happened to see Lio looking at him with an umbrella over his head. He gave a small smile as he readjusted his umbrella.

“So this is where you were, Galo Thymos.”

“You were looking for me?”

“Yeah. I sent you a text message, but you never responded which was unlike you. I admit I got a little worried, but you were just spacing out in front of the store.”

“I wasn’t spacing out, I was just…” 

Lio took note of the fact that Galo spaced off. He must have been thinking about the situation and made himself sick with worry. This was why he didn’t want to get people from the outside involved. He placed a hand on Galo’s arm with a sympathetic smile.

“It’s almost lunch time, right? Let’s go get some pizza.”

“I thought you didn’t like pizza.”

“Yeah, but I like you. So let’s get some pizza.”

Galo smiled as he took the umbrella from Lio and they walked to the pizza parlor. Galo suggested that they return to his apartment to get out of the snow, and when they opened the door, Lio was surprised at how clean it was. Everything was in the spot it was supposed to be in, there wasn’t clothes strewn all over the floor. Hell, even the trash looked like it was taken care of.

“Your apartment is so clean.” Lio said as he took off his jacket and put it on the back of a chair before he sat in it. He set the pizza box down in the middle of the table. “I don’t know why I’m surprised.” He heard Galo laugh nervously as he made his way to his kitchenette.

“It’s because I’m always busy. Every time I think about decorating something comes up or I get distracted.” He replied, coming to the table with two plates. “Do you want anything to drink?”

Lio shook his head. Galo nodded in response, his stomach still in knots. This anxiety was a pretty foreign feeling for him. With everything that was happening, complied with Lio sitting in his apartment eating lunch with him, it was enough to almost make him not want to eat. He watched as his eating partner took a slice, and stopped short of eating to smile at him, which made him place a slice on his plate quickly. It was almost like he was unbothered, but he knew that wasn’t the case. Lio didn’t want to worry anyone, so kept it hidden. 

“You haven’t eaten anything yet. Are you not feeling well? You were standing out in the snow getting soaked...” Lio asked, disrupting Galo’s train of thought.

“Oh, no! I’m fine!” Galo replied with a nervous smile.

Lio finished his slice of pizza before leaning his head on his hand. “Talk to me. I’ll listen.”

Galo felt his smile falter as he looked at his plate. “I’m just worried, that’s all. This is really a life or death situation, and I guess I’m still processing it.” He finished by looking at Lio. He watched as his face had a serene smile. It was at that moment that he realized that he really was a prince. The aura that he exuded was nothing less than regal. 

“Galo, I want you to understand that no matter what happens, I won’t blame you. This is something that I’ve had to come to terms with for a long time. If this is something that you don’t want to do, it’s okay.”

“No, that’s not it! I’m not worried about me! I’m worried for you! I want to help! I know so many things are up in the air, but I promise I’ll do anything I can help!”

Lio blinked in surprise before he started chuckling. His earnest attitude was just so endearing and heartwarming. He knew there had to be a reason he had been so drawn to him. 

“You’re so kind, Galo. You should be more worried about yourself. Maybe the two of us share the same sentiment: we don’t want the other person to get hurt. Maybe we’re idiots. I wouldn’t hold it against you if you did want to back out, though.”

“I’m not going anywhere! You’re important to me!”

Lio looked at Galo’s determined face before he got up from his seat and stood in front of Galo, leaning down and kissing him. Galo felt himself tense up from surprise, but a second later he was melting into it. Lio’s lips were warm, and a stray thought made him wonder if his whole body was that warm. He felt Lio gently put his hand on his cheek and it was comforting, like a safe place. But all too soon it was over. He was left looking at Lio’s violet eyes locked with his own blue ones and he felt his face heat up as Lio smirked. 

“W-what was that?”

“A promise. That we’ll make it out alive.” Lio said with a confident smile. “And since we made that promise, we really don’t have a choice but to come back to each other, right?”

Galo simply nodded, still dazed from the kiss. It felt like his face was on fire, but he didn’t care. His appetite had completely gone, and he honestly didn’t know how to act. He watched as Lio simply got another slice of pizza as he sat back down and both of them watched as the snow continued to fall down on the city. The quiet engulfed them, but it was like the calm before the storm. And there was a certain comfort in that. While they didn’t know what that storm held or how bad it would be, they did know that they had this moment to treasure.


	8. Chapter 8

The rest of the day passed by quietly, and for his own sanity, Galo insisted that they walk together. With Vulcan still around, though, Lio really had no choice but to agree.

“We’re trying to get more people on our side to help you guys.” Galo said. “But you guys may have to meet with my boss.”

“Oh yeah?”

Galo nodded. “Aina thinks that he doesn’t like Vulcan, so he may be willing to help out. I told her not to say anything about you being royalty though.”

“Well, I’m sure it will come out eventually. ‘Prince On the Run’ does have a good ring to it. Maybe after this is all over, I’ll write a book.”

Before he could respond, Galo heard his phone ringing in his pocket. Fishing it out, he saw Aina’s name and looked at Lio with a serious face. Lio gestured for him to answer the phone and quickly it was on his ear.

“What’s up, Aina?”

“I talked to the Captain. He wants to talk to Lio. I guess he figured I was leaving some stuff out. Let Lio know that he wants to meet them tomorrow. I know you guys are probably together now anyways. I’ll talk to you later.”

Before Galo could even respond the line went silent. He looked at Lio, who returned his gaze with curiosity. “That was Aina. She said that our Captain wants to talk to you and the guys tomorrow. Can you make it?”

“Text me the address and I’ll be there first thing in the morning.”

Lio watched as Galo’s face relaxed. He assumed it was because there was at least some kind of plan. But to be honest, he was a little more hopeful. They may get allies, but he’d have to talk everything over with Meis and Gueira what they would do if it were necessary to make another plan. They had been able to smuggle over the specialized weapons themselves, but he knew that they wouldn’t work on Kray. They barely worked on him. But they could be dangerous for Meis and Gueira… If the fire department were to help, they would have to explain everything along with the fact that they were on a time crunch. 

But to feel hope again after all this time was so comforting.

The next morning, the three came to the firestation. They kept a calm demeanor as they were shown to Captain Ignis’ office with Galo joining them. Varys and Lucia came to Remi with confusion on their face. 

“Who are those guys?” Varys questioned.

“Well, if we’re to believe what Aina told the Captain, they are the criminals that the gentleman who left the weapons is here to find.” Remi replied as he continued working on his computer screen.

“And they’re just turning themselves in? That sounds sus…” Lucia whispered.

Remi shrugged. “Apparently there’s more to the story. And they’re asking the Captain for help. Galo and Aina were vouching for them so he humored them. But you know how he is: if he feels like anything is off, they won’t just walk out of here.”

“Well, I hope they’re on the up and up.” Lucia replied with a mischievous smile. “I wanna see those fire powers. Have you seen them, Aina?”

Aina simply smiled before turning her attention back to the Captain’s office. She couldn’t help but feel multiple knots in her stomach. She wanted Captain Ignis to give them a chance, if only for the fact to go against that Vulcan guy. Plus she knew that if he didn’t, Galo would just do whatever he could to help anyways, no matter the danger or consequences.

After what felt like an eternity, the five men came out of the office. Aina breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Galo’s face decorated with a large smile. However, the three foreigners still kept a neutral face as they walked towards their group.

“Well everyone, this is Lio, Meis and Gueira. They’re refugees from another country and are on the run from Lio’s insane uncle, who happens to have staged a coup in another country and is trying to kill him. We can’t directly interfere by stopping or reporting anything. But, we can help prepare them for the incoming fight and help keep them hidden. Lucia, can you improve those weapons? From what I understand, he’s a strong one.”

Everyone but Lucia nodded, with her crossing her arms in front of her. “Well, I’m fine with helping and all, but I’m really going to need to see that fire that you can do!”

“Lucia, you have to know how dangerous that is.” Remi replied with a raised eyebrow. “Especially to ask that in a fire department.”

“Yeah, yeah. But I’m a scientist before I’m a firefighter. And as a scientist, I need solid proof that everything is on the up and up! Plus, we ARE a fire department, aren’t we? If things get too out of hand, it’s kind of our job to handle it, right? Why not try it out?”

Gueira gave a cocky smile. “Well, if that’s what the lady wants, I’d be happy to oblige. Plus, it’s been too long since I’ve had a chance to play with fire…”

“Yeah.” Meis agreed. “I think it’s fun to stretch our abilities out every once in a while. We could put on a show for you.”

“As long as you two remember how to control yourselves,” Lio replied. “I don’t see any problem with it.”

“Alright! Spoken like a true prince!” Lucia cheered. “Follow me, gentlemen! I have a place just for you!”

Ignis readjusted his sunglasses and turned back to Lio. “Well, while they’re doing that, you, Galo and Aina are going to meet with me about strategy. I can’t do anything, but I know these two won’t sit around and do nothing.”

Lio looked at Galo and Aina, who simply gave large smiles in response. Even though he knew it wasn’t a dream, he couldn’t help but feel like he was in some ethereal place. The fact that he was able to get help in the first place for his friends was almost like a dream come true.

The morning passed somewhat chaotically, with Meis and Remi discussing the logistics of how their fire worked, and Lucia and Varys tag teaming Gueira with questions about how strong he could make his flame. Both made a point to state that while their flames were strong, Lio’s were ten times that if he didn’t hold back. When he came out of his meeting with Ignis, Lio was accosted by Lucia who gave a devilishly curious smile.

“Word around here is that your fire’s the strongest out of you three. Mind if we get a demonstration?”

“I don’t know if that would be safe.”

“Come on! How am I supposed to gauge how strong the other guy will be if I don’t see how strong you are?”

“If it’s as powerful as they say it is, maybe it’s not a great idea.” Varys stated. “He could be a beacon for that dude.”

Lucia rolled her eyes. “Okay, fine. Next best thing: melt through the frozen cuffs.”

“But we only-”

“Oh, don’t worry. I already know how they work and I can make some more if we need to. Plus, he gave us, like, four of them. So, how about it? Can you do that?”

Lio held out his wrists and watched as Lucia put the freeze cuffs on him, which surrounded his hands. He felt the coldness from cylinders, which made him uncomfortable. So this is what they came up with after they had left. He let his hands warm up and immediately felt a cold flush on them before heating them up again. After doing that about four more times, the cylinders fell to the ground in a heap. 

“It probably doesn’t work anymore. I just kept making my hands hotter and hotter. The freezing mechanism couldn’t keep up.” Lio said as he rubbed his wrists. “Any other tests you want to do?”

“Well, apparently I can’t do what I want to do…” Lucia muttered. “But what if I shoot your hands together with one of those freezing bullets? If they gave it to us, they think it can work right?”

Lio put his hands together and waited as Lucia went and got the gun. Galo looked on, perplexed by the activity. He watched as Lio looked up at him and gave a confident wink accompanied by a smirk, which made butterflies appear in his stomach. Quickly, Lucia shot Lio’s hands, producing an ice casing around his hands. In a matter of seconds, the ice was melted leaving a puddle at his feet.

“These are nitrogen based. It’s easy for me to melt. Because I’m from the royal family, my flames are usually much stronger than that of Gueira or Meis. They would be captured by that.”

“So, what would work on you?” Varys questioned.

“I’ve never really tested it. Maybe something with liquid hydrogen? It takes something colder.”

“So, why would your uncle send something that he knew wouldn’t capture you?”

“He doesn’t know how strong I am. He knows that I’m stronger than the average person, but I’ve never shown him how powerful I am. My father made sure of that.”

“Well, I guess we have our homework cut out for us.” Remi sighed as he readjusted his glasses. "Where have you guys been hiding out so far?"

"A hotel on the other side of town. Why?"

"We don't know who's looking for you. We'll take care of getting you checked out."

"I have a guest house you can stay in." Ignis stated. "You'll be there until this whole mess is taken care of."

Lio nodded and Galo couldn’t help but feel as though something was going right for them. Granted they still had to figure out a plan for whatever would happen between their group and the new threat that they would be facing soon. But at least it would be a step in the right direction.


	9. Chapter 9

The next few weeks passed with a lot of progress made in the wake of the impending visit from Kray. The three had been safely placed in the private guest house of Captain Ignis, with Lio making sure they caused as little fuss as possible. Lucia’s experiments with colder chemicals continued, which proved difficult for even Lio to break out of. She was also able to create fireproof armor for Galo just in case he was pulled into any type of fight that would include fire.

The steady countdown to Kray’s arrival was constantly in everyone’s mind. While most of the team only held vague ideas of what his threat was, only Lio truly knew what he was capable of. Even Meis and Gueira were at somewhat of a loss as to how powerful he could be. The only thing they knew for sure was that he was dangerous and he was after Lio. Granted, that’s really all they needed to know in order to follow him and keep him safe. But from the stories that Lio told, it was enough for them to be at best wary of him. At best, he was terrifying. But they would do what needed to be done to make sure that Lio was safely back where he belonged.

They weren’t the only ones who were curious. Galo would be lying if he said that he wasn’t a little anxious of this threat. From what Lio was saying, they really would only have one shot to pull this off. The plan was to use Lio as bait, something that Galo knew was a necessary evil, and then they could unleash a barrage of attacks on him. Lio figured that with him, Galo, Aina, Gueira and Meis, they could overwhelm him and finish the fight quickly. But his explanation and plan never answered the questions that he had.

“Lio, you have to tell me more about this guy.” Galo said as they sat at the edge of the lake. It was decided between the two of them that as long as Lio had some sort of escort from the fire department, that they would at least have a leg up on Vulcan if he came around.

“I’ve told you what you need to know, haven’t I?”

“Not really! All I really have to go on is a picture! You keep saying he’s ‘powerful’ and ‘dangerous’ and all that stuff. But you leave it at that! I need to know how bad it could get! If we’ll have to evacuate people if he gets powered up or something! You know, that sort of thing!”

Lio sighed as he drew his legs under him, resting his crossed arms on his knees. Galo was surprised at how small and vulnerable he looked. “He’s the only person to truly scare me… He would show off his power but that was just one aspect about him. He’s charismatic, and can get people to hang off of every word he says. If he was the one who had asked for help instead of Vulcan, there would be no way you guys would have helped.”

“What? No way...”

“I’ve heard stories where he made alliances just to literally burn them in the back to get what he needed. If he can’t get what he wants through his words and influence, his power and ruthlessness work just as well. He could burn this whole forest to the ground with a snap of his finger if he wanted to, even evaporating the lake.” He replied as he rested his chin on his crossed arms. He was surprised to feel Galo wrap his arm around him as he scooted closer to him.

“Well, then we take him down as soon as possible! We’ll make it out and get pizza afterwards! We made a promise right? I don’t break those ever!”

Lio laughed as he leaned his head on Galo’s shoulder. For a long time, there really wasn’t anyone that he could be that vulnerable around. Or rather, there wasn’t anyone he was willing to be vulnerable around. He always wanted to be a leader that his people could look up to. He wanted Meis and Gueira to know that they didn’t have anything to worry about and that he would do anything for them just so that they could survive. But recently it was becoming clear that he was holding himself to an impossibly high standard. And how unfair that was to the people that had left their home for him. He sighed, breathing out a steady cloud of steam before standing up.

“Let’s go. I need to go and talk to Meis and Gueira. Plus, it’s probably not a good idea for me to be out here too late. What with me being a fugitive and all.”

The two made their way to the temporary hideout that Lio was staying in and he swung his leg over the bike, taking a deep breath.

“You okay? You wanted to get up and leave pretty quickly.”

Lio turned to smile at Galo before giving him a peck on the lips. “There’s just something important I need to tell them.” He replied before chuckling at Galo’s almost blank look. He knew he’d never get over the surprise that registered on his face whenever he gave him any kind of affection, especially when he kissed him. But now that Lio discovered it, Galo’s dopey face was always something that would make him smile, even when he was feeling lost.

“One day, I’m gonna be the one that surprises you!” Galo said, his cheeks rising in temperature. He could feel his heart thunder against his ribcage as his brain finally fully registered what happened. He watched as Lio tucked his blond hair behind his ear before turning around and walking towards the door with a wave. Galo sighed. Not only did he surprise him, he actually looked cool while doing it…

Lio heard the motorcycle rev off before he opened the door to find Gueira in the kitchen making a sandwich. He looked like he was giving an internal sigh of relief, which was something that always happened when he came home. And every time he saw that, his heart would ache just a little more.

“Gueira, where's Meis? I need to talk to you two.”

“He just went to bed. He shouldn’t be asleep yet or anything. Is everything okay Boss?”

“Of course. It’s just something important I wanted to say.”

Gueira nodded before knocking on Meis’s door. He came out, his hair slightly off-kilter as he gave a sleepy yawn. Lio smiled as he looked fondly at his comrades. His friends. They deserved to know how he felt if this happened to be one of the times they were able to have a heart to heart chat.

“What’s going on?”

“I just wanted to say a few things before anything major happened. Just in case for some reason I’m not able to say them later.”

Lio gestured towards the couch in the living room and watched as the two took a seat while he stood in front of them. He took a deep breath as he looked at the faces of the men who had left with him. It felt like it had been such a long time since he had actually looked at them. 

“I just wanted to let you two know how grateful I am. You two… have been with me for so long and I feel like I never really let my guard down with you. I’ve never really told you how this has affected me, because we’ve always been on the run. We’ve never really been in a place where we could really talk.”

“What do you mean, Boss?” Gueira asked, leaning forward. Lio gave a tired smile.

“I’ve been so focused on leading you and making sure that you guys are okay. I didn’t want to worry you guys too much. But I’m scared. I’m trying not to be, and I’m trying to keep you guys calm, but… even the thought of losing either of you… I don’t think I could bear it.” Lio confessed. “I just… if anything were to happen to me, the only thing I want is for you to take Kray down.”

“Boss, we won’t let anything happen to you!” Gueira replied quickly. “We’ll do this together! We have a team and support now! We have a chance!”

“You’re the only one who can finish him off, Boss.” Meis replied. “But we won’t leave you. We promise. And if anything does happen, we’ll make sure he pays for what he’s done.”

Lio nodded. “That’s all I ask. I just wanted to tell you. I know I don’t tell you how much I appreciate you as much as I should, but with the stakes this high, I figured I couldn’t sit on it this time.”

Both Meis and Gueira got up from their seats and put their arms around Lio’s shoulders with a proud smile. “We’re here for the long haul, Boss!” Gueira affirmed. “We’re gonna make sure you get back to your rightful place!”

“And we’ll make sure that Kray learns his lesson for messing with us.” 

Lio smiled as he felt a weight lifted off his shoulders. He didn’t know what would happen next, but… He was happy that he had said something. Now he felt like anything that happened, he could keep his head held high. And it gave him a renewed sense of purpose. He needed to win. Not just for himself, but for his family. They deserved the chance to see their home again. To see their people.

So he would win. He had to.


	10. Chapter 10

The next morning, Galo made his way to the station, careful to keep his eyes out for anything that seemed suspicious. He hated how paranoid he was starting to become, but until all the insanity was over, he really didn’t have a choice. As his mind was focused on other things, he felt himself run into someone as he stumbled back. 

“Sorry! I was rushing!”

“Oh, it’s no problem.” A deep voice came. Galo took a closer look at who he had run into and couldn’t help but feel his appearance was familiar. His blond hair was partially hidden under what looked like a white newsboy cap, and he was dressed in a white three-piece suit. But what surprised him the most was his stature. It felt like the man was easily twice as big as Galo, both height and muscle-wise. There was also something oddly both familiar and unfamiliar about him. 

“Are you okay?” Galo asked carefully. He watched as the man straightened out his suit before smiling at him. There was something about him that just seemed refined. 

“I’m fine. But now that I have you here, do you mind if I ask you some questions? I won’t make you late for anything will I?”

“No, I’m early for work today! How can I help you?”

“I’m in town for business, granted I’m actually early myself. But since I’ve found more time than I know what to do with, I figured I’d ask a local about any fun things to do.”

Something about the way he talked sounded off to Galo. It was a little unnerving. But he really didn’t have any basis for the feeling he had. Something was causing alarms to go off in his head though.

“Well, what are you looking to do specifically?”

“To be honest, I’ve always been a fan of nature. I was wondering if there was a lake nearby. I’d honestly like to test a theory I heard recently.”

“Theory? Like what?”

“Well, I wanted to see if I really could evaporate a lake with the snap of my fingers.”

Galo felt his stomach fall to his feet as his eyes widened. He felt his breath struggle to keep him conscious as he watched the man’s originally kind smile turn into something sadistic.

“You see, the forest? That would be easy. So much tinder and kindling. The fire would easily grow. But I’ve never tried evaporating a body of water. It sounds like it could be fun.”

“You’re-”

“Kray Foresight, at your service. And you have some information I need.”

Galo felt his eyebrows knit together as he stared silently at the man in front of him. How could he be so blind? No wonder he looked familiar! And the fact that he just calmly approached him was unsettling. It was the act of someone who knew they were not in any danger. Someone who knew they had total control over the situation. He heard him chuckle, breaking him out of his stunned state.

“You’re white as a sheet. No need to worry. I won’t do anything to you. You have nothing to do with the little skirmish I have with my nephew and his friends.” Kray replied, readjusting his hat. “But I do feel you should tell me what I need to know.”

“Why would I tell you anything?”

“Galo, was it? I must admit, I’ve never seen my nephew so happy. At least, not since he was a child. I can only assume it has something to do with you, which is great. I can assure you if you tell me where I can obtain him along with the other fugitives, he’ll stay alive and in a state where you two can still talk. You can carry on your little romance however you see fit, with him locked in a tower for the rest of his days. I think it’s a much better fate than burning him alive, don’t you agree?”

“I’m not telling you anything!”

“Well, that’s a shame. I may have to torture you to get out information.”

“I don’t care what you do to me. I still wouldn’t tell you a damn thing!”

“You don’t have to care, Galo. Lio cares enough for the both of you. He’d make mistake after mistake just trying to get to you. With you as my pawn, one way or another, I get what I want. But I’m feeling generous, so how about this: you bring Lio to the lake tonight and we can settle this. You can tell him about this whole conversation, or tell him nothing. But he’s an obstacle that can and will be moved easily.”

Kray gave another smile, empty of all emotion, before leaving in the opposite direction of where Galo was facing. Just like that, it was over. It was like he had been holding his breath the entire time. Maybe he had been, the way his chest felt like it was moving on its own and his mind was racing. He rushed to the fire station, immediately finding Lio.

“We’re out of time, Lio. He’s here.”

Lio immediately felt his chest tighten. This was just like him, trying to take advantage of the moves he thought he had. Though he knew why Kray felt emboldened to do that. This was the first time he was actually able to catch up with them. But this was also the first time that Lio had a fighting chance. 

And he was going to take it.

He watched as Galo looked for the Captain so that he could talk to him about a change of plans. He glanced at his friends who returned his look with silent determination. They knew it would be ending one way or another.

The night fell quickly and Lio made his way to the lake. There was a type of determination with his strides as continued forward. Finally he made it to the edge of the lake where Kray was standing, waiting patiently as he looked over the frozen water. He stood next to him, but didn’t bother to look at him.

“Good evening, Kray.”

“Is that all you have to say to your uncle? I thought we were on better terms than that.”

“Well, when you imply that you’re going to kill the other party, relationships kind of deteriorate. But don’t take it too personally. I want you gone as well. Though, I would rather see you in prison paying for your crimes than dead.”

“You and that sense of duty you have. You got it from your father. Speaking of him. It was my brother’s own fault that he died. Deus didn’t know what he was doing when it came ruling a country. He was too soft. In the time that you’ve been gone, our country has flourished.”

“If you’re in charge, I can’t say that I agree with your definition of ‘flourish’. And my father didn’t just die. You killed him.”

“Different terms for the same thing. But more to the point: have you decided to accept your fate and leave with me? Or would you prefer to put up a fight? In all honesty, I’d prefer a fight. To come all this way without some kind of entertainment wouldn’t be fun. Plus a four on one fight may actually give me the kind of challenge I want.”

Lio narrowed his eyes as he looked at him. He wasn’t shocked nor even surprised that Kray knew that he had backup. Out of the shadows, Gueira, Meis and Galo in what looked like a mechanised suit came out, quite bulky yet somewhat moveable. It covered his whole body, making him a size comparable to Kray. Kray smiled at the new guests, a smile that didn’t reach his crimson eyes.

“I’m so happy that you three could join us. There really wouldn’t be a point of bringing Lio back if I didn’t completely crush his spirit. And I think that getting rid of you three would really do the trick.”

“You evil bastard!” Gueira yelled, feeling himself heat up just from looking at his face. He felt his hands start to produce flames that he wanted to just shoot at him point blank. 

“Hold on. I don’t think we really have a whole lot of space to fight here. Especially with how much greenery we have here. If I just burn the whole place down, that would draw more people that we need right? So, how about we do this?”

Lio watched as Kray went to the lake’s edge, putting his hand on the solid ice. The empty smile stayed on his face as his hand started melting through the surface. Still he continued, until the water started boiling. Soon, the whole body of water was melted, but he wasn’t done yet. As the group continued to watch, the lake got smaller and smaller, with steam rising to the air like a sauna. It was only a matter of time until all the water was gone, leaving nothing but the vegetation and sea creatures that inhabited the lake left without their home.

“Now that the water’s gone…” Kray started, before shooting a large stream of fire into the giant hole in the ground from his hands. Immediately, everything was fried, burned to ashes as though nothing had been there before. Galo felt the breath in his body leave as he watched the sheer power that Kray held. When he felt everything was sufficiently gone, he looked at his opponents. 

“Well, it wasn’t the snap of a finger, but it was still fun nonetheless. Now, I have to ask again, are you sure you want to do this? It would be much easier for me to just take you as is without the added hassle. That way you could avoid your friends being burned to a crisp. I also can’t guarantee that you’ll leave alive.”

Lio didn’t respond, keeping a hard look on his face as he kept his gaze on Kray. Kray simply shrugged and made his way down into the now crater, scuffing up his white shoes but keeping his suit perfectly white. Lio looked at Meis, Gueira and Galo with a determined look before following suit, with him shooting out a stream of fire behind him to speed him up with a fire stream shooting right at him. Meis and Gueira followed suit, hoping that they would be able to overwhelm him and end the fight quickly. Galo was last to join, jumping in and quickly taking out a rod that extended into a polearm, despite how bulky and oversized his specialized suit looked. He was powerful, but if they could finish this in a barrage of attacks… 

There was a mess of beautiful technicolor flames, with different hues of turquoise and pink with an almost overwhelming blast of heat that almost flung Galo back. Before he could even make contact, however, he saw that Meis and Gueira were flung aside. Lio had managed to get away before Kray had gotten his hands on him, steadying himself, his sleeves burned off from the blast. Kray sidestepped the attack so that Galo’s weapon connected with the ground.

“You’re not melted yet?”

“Still ready to go!” Galo responded, quickly drawing his gun. He shot point blank at his shoulder. He watched as Kray’s face changed from slightly amused to deathly serious as the mound of ice on his shoulder melted slowly.

“That was actually cold. Did you rats modify our gifts?”

Before Galo could respond, he was kicked away. He was winded by the force of the kick. He landed next to Lio who made a charge towards their opponent. Meis and Gueira were finally recovered and they shot steady flames towards Kray.

Lio closed in on him, getting near enough that any attack would have been point blank. He wasn’t quick enough, however, as Kray deftly grabbed Lio by his throat. Lifting him up, Kray used fire from his other hand to overwhelm Meis and Gueira, knocking them down. His clothes were frayed from the continuous blast of fire. He pulled Lio closer to him, all pretenses of civility gone.

“This has stopped being amusing. I have more than half a mind to kill you like I did my brother.”

“You… Bastard…” Lio choked out as he tried to push him away. He weakly pushed on his chest and clawed at his face as he tried to somehow loosen Kray’s grip. He felt his breath get more and more shallow as well as a warmth growing around his neck.

“Hey! Let him go!”

Kray turned his attention to Galo, who had the specialized gun aimed at him. He smirked. “Or what, you’ll shoot me?” 

Galo didn’t respond, causing Kray to laugh loudly. “In case you didn’t notice, your little bullets didn’t do much! You may think we’re on a similar level, but we couldn’t be farther apart!”

He finished by throwing Lio’s near unconscious body at Galo, who dropped his gun to catch him. A flurry of coughs erupted from Lio as he gasped for air. A sigh of relief came from Galo’s lips as he helped Lio to his feet.

“Think we can still make it work?” Galo said, eyes refocusing on Kray. He was starting his ominous walk towards them. 

“Well, we can’t really go anywhere can we?” Lio said, wiping his mouth. “Let’s give it our all, no matter what the outcome is.”

Galo made his way running towards him as Lio started blasting him with fire, doing everything he could to keep their distance. Kray continued to use his own fire to shoot off parts of Galo’s armor, aiming at joints and leaving him defenseless.

“Pretty shoddy armor. I guess you were so focused on keeping it fireproof that you neglected everything else.” Kray said as he stood over Galo.

Galo quickly took out his gun and continued to shoot at him. The bullets would land and freeze, but they did nothing to stop his march forward.

“I thought I told you that they were useless.”

“Good thing we have something up our sleeves, then.” Lio said as he held up something that looked like a detonator. Immediately, the broken armor seemed to jump to life as they reassembled around Kray, releasing a cooling agent. With Kray momentarily stunned, they knew they only had a short amount of time. Quickly, Galo reloaded his gun quickly and shot directly at Kray’s face. Immediately afterwards, Lio’s fist which was surrounded by fire, connected with the frozen target that Galo had made. He put all of his remaining strength into the punch. 

It was enough to knock him out cold.


	11. Chapter 11

It took them a long minute to verify that Kray was actually down for the count. All Lio could hear was the heavy breathing that both he and Galo were making and his heart thudding in his chest. But all he could do was continue to watch, making sure that he didn’t get back up.

Because if he did, they were most certainly dead.

“I don’t think he’s getting back up, Lio.”

Lio sighed with exhaustion. “Then we have to get the cuffs on him right now. If he wakes up, I don’t think that suit will hold him.”

Quickly, the two of them worked to get the freezing cuffs on him. Thankfully he didn’t wake up, and Lio clicked a button on the cuffs to immediately release the freezing agent on his hands. After he was sure that everything was done, he left Galo to contact Aina as he left to go wake up Gueira and Meis. 

Soon after, Aina came down with a large aircraft, normally used for transporting people from particularly bad fires. She quickly jumped out from her pilot’s seat to help Galo get Kray into the part of the aircraft that held victims before slamming the area shut. She sighed when she looked at Galo, who was bruised and dirty from the fight, and with what looked like a burn on his left arm.

“You know, you had me more than a little worried. I’m glad Lucia designed that tracker thing. How did you even get it on him…?”

“Lio did it. Kray was so focused on killing him that he didn’t notice he stuck the tracker on him while he was choking him out. He had to get close enough to him to get it on.”

“Wow… Well we need to get you guys looked at. You especially… You look like you got your arm messed up…”

Galo looked at his arm for the first time, finally noticing any kind of pain. But with how focused he was on not dying and not letting anyone else die, he could understand. When Lio had finally struggled his way over to the transport, with Meis and Gueira helping as much as they could, they took off. Lio elected to stay in the back with Kray, just in case he decided to cause any problems moving forward, worrying the remaining passengers. But when Lio insisted, changing his mind wasn’t an easy feat.

Kray woke up confined in a dark cold room, with familiar freezing cuffs on his hands. He wriggled a bit before looking around, trying to take in his surroundings. However, there wasn’t much to take in. And any time he tried to make any kind of heat build up, he would immediately be cooled down. He also felt the temperature of the room he was in would lower dramatically. They really thought of everything didn’t they…?

He looked up when he heard a door open followed by a light switch. The depressing hum of the fluorescent light above him echoed in the room, which revealed that he was in a temperature controlled room, each of the walls looking like they were made from solid blocks of ice. He was stood up against a confining mechanism, with only a small window in front of him which revealed his visitor to be Lio, bandaged up and dressed in his princely clothes, which consisted of a leather outfit adorned with ruffles at his wrists and a cravat at his neck. His violet eyes stayed clear and focused. Kray couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight. 

“If it isn’t my darling nephew?”

“I just wanted to come and let you know we’ll be leaving soon.”

“Leaving? And where do you think you’re taking me?”

“Home. To be tried and imprisoned.”

Kray gave a chuckle. “And what makes you think that the people would believe you? You are the crown prince that ran away when your father died, leading people to think that you played a part in it. And do you really think that I, with as much power as I hold, will be taken down that easily? I’ve been in control for more than two years.”

Lio crossed his arms, cocking his hip to one side. “You always had a habit of ruling by fear. I noticed it first when you would regularly scare the palace staff into doing what you wanted. I also remember when father had the military report to you. But the problem with ruling by fear is that you attract cowardly followers.”

“What does that have to do with anything?”

“We were able to track down Vulcan. He put up a bit of a fight, but not much. When we told him you were down for the count and provided sufficient proof, he was more than willing to help testify against you.”

“One man against-”

“Two men. We will have the proof of two men.”

“What are you saying? No one would dare go against me.”

“You might.”

Kray couldn’t help but laugh loudly. “Why would I say anything? Vulcan may be a fool, but I’m not!”

“You already have. You probably didn’t notice, but we were able to record everything. I knew you’d want to gloat about how you got away with murder. It’s the kind of man you are. I just needed to get close enough for you to say it. We have what we need. And Vulcan reported that there was still a large group of people who were rather wary of you taking the throne. And even more who saw you as a simple placeholder until I returned. That’s why you were so eager to kill me. As long as I was alive, I was a threat to you and your reign.”

“And if I claim that you attacked me to the city’s government?”

“We have proof that you critically injured a member of their fire department - a government employee - in a simple dispute, surrendering any diplomatic immunity and good will that you would have.”

Kray leaned his head back with a sigh. He really did think of everything, didn’t he? “I should’ve realized you were this sharp. You managed to evade me for two years, and when I finally reached you… I’m taken down easily. But you can’t blame me. I never thought you would actually make friends. It never was your strong suit.”

Lio stared at him for a second before leaving the room. There was a part of him that wished he could leave him there and let him rot. But, if he were going to be taking the role of a true leader, he’d need to learn to deal with vermin like him.


	12. Chapter 12

Galo absentmindedly rubbed the medical sleeve that was now adorning his arm. It still felt weird to put it on every day, but he knew that it was there to help with the damage and pain from the injury he received from Kray. The burn had been worse than they had initially thought, but it did give him the excuse to walk around without a shirt on. Plus the Captain had given him time off for the rest of Lio’s stay to spend with him. So there were some advantages.

In all honesty though, he had Lio to thank for at least keeping him on track with his sleeve. After all of the insanity that happened with Kray, Lio took it upon himself to help take care of Galo. There wasn’t any objection from Meis and Gueira, who said that he hadn’t been able to stop worrying about how he was going to take care of himself. In between his meetings with other leaders about the extradition of members from his country back to their home, he had found time to make sure Galo was at least able to keep him alive. 

The only problem that Galo had found, at least at the beginning, was that he only had one room. Which meant only one bed. Initially, he had suggested Lio take the bed. He was perfectly fine on the couch and had slept on much harder and worse things, including but not limited to, the concrete floor of the station. Plus, Lio was a prince! He couldn’t ask a prince to sleep on his couch! It had to be against some decree or treaty or something, right?

Lio challenged this by explaining to Galo that he was still injured, and he was too big to carefully sleep on the couch without causing more damage. Also, he was more couch-sized, as much as he hated to admit it. And if Galo needed anything, he’d be in an easier position to get up and help.

“Well, we could just share the bed! That would make things easier right?” Galo said, his own joke making him laugh loudly.

“Okay. Now that that’s settled, what do you want for dinner?”

“Wait! Are you serious…?” Galo asked somewhat incredulously. He was half expecting Lio to respond with something like ‘gullible as usual’. It didn’t change the fact, though, that his response had completely caught him off guard.

“Are you serious?”

“I mean… I don’t mind… I have a big bed and all… But I don’t want to squish you or anything! And I can be a loud snorer! And-”

He stopped when he felt Lio put his hand on his mouth, stopping the word vomit from spilling out. “Galo, you’re thinking too hard on it. It’s only going to be for a couple weeks at most. I can survive. And if it’s that bad, the couch is always there. Plus, I’m kind of like an electric blanket that doesn’t time out, so I’ll keep you warm all night. It’s not a big deal. Okay?”

All Galo could do was nod. In the brief second of Lio taking his hand away, he closed the space between them, pressing his lips against Lio’s. It was a little rough, and haphazard, but it contained the same earnestness that Lio had fallen for. It was sweet and wonderful and world-melting. And it was something that Lio had been waiting for, as much as Galo had been talking about it. After a long second, Galo pulled away and Lio noticed how red Galo’s face looked, which made him laugh.

“It took you long enough, Galo Thymos.”

“What’s that supposed to mean!?”

“You kept saying that you were going to surprise me with some romantic gesture. It took you a week to actually do it.”

“I was trying to figure out how to surprise you! Get off my back!”

“Galo, sometimes, I don’t think you realize how cute you are. Now, what do you want to eat for dinner? I’m getting hungry.”

Even though it was only for a short time that they would be living together, both of them found a sort of domestic bliss bloom in Galo’s tiny apartment. In that short amount of time they had together, they had carved out some semblance of a routine. If Lio wasn’t held up in the diplomacy of being the heir apparent, they would wander around the city, hand in hand, enjoying each other’s company. It would almost seem like they were in their own world. 

At night, Galo would hold Lio close, the latter keeping the both of them warm just as he promised. For the first few nights, it was hard for Lio to sleep the majority of the night. He explained that he was so used to getting up in the middle of the night to check on Meis and Gueira and to make sure they were safe, that sleeping the whole night was hard. But he liked looking at Galo’s sleeping face. It was relaxing and sweet. He found himself gently touching it, running his hands softly over and through his electric blue hair, the only source of light for the room coming from the street lamps outside of their room. 

It was in those late hours that he would form thoughts of a different life. Maybe one where he wasn’t a prince. Where he could easily escape any responsibilities that he had. He knew they were both painfully aware that each day they enjoyed together was another day closer to the time when they wouldn’t have a chance to see each other as easily as they wanted. But that alternate reality comforted him. When those thoughts came, he would snuggle himself closer to Galo, and instinctively, Galo would tighten his grip. Just that act helped him fall asleep.

It was the safest Lio had felt in a long time. 

Unfortunately, the time they had feared was upon them. The night before Lio's departure, they decided to make their way to the former lake. Lio sighed as they sat on the edge of it.

“I wish he hadn’t completely destroyed the lake. I would have loved to see it one more time.” 

“I’m sure we can get it back to how it used to be! Somehow… It IS gonna be rough during the summer though. People used to use it as a hotspot for fun times!”

Lio nodded. “I’ll see what I can do to restore it. It’s the least I could do.”

Galo gave a large smile before leaning back on his hands and looking up at the winter sky. It was incredibly clear, with thousands of little white dots decorating the almost black sky. It was almost overwhelming, the depth of it all. He sighed wistfully.

“Do you really have to leave, Lio?”

“Yeah. But you could always come with me.”

Galo chuckled. “You know I can’t do that.”

“I know. But I couldn’t help but ask.” Lio replied, following Galo’s lead by looking at the sky. It really did look like it could swallow them up at any moment, taking them away from their responsibilities. Another silence engulfed them as they continued to watch the sky.

“I don’t plan on being away for too long. Once I get my country back in order and after Kray is taken care of, I’ll be back.”

“I know…” But that didn’t change the fact that he wouldn’t be able to see him whenever he wanted. He wouldn’t be able to fall asleep with him in his arms, or see his mischievous smile when he made a joke, or the way that he absentmindedly tucked his hair behind his ear. It was just the little things that he had gotten used to. Logically, he knew it wouldn’t be forever.

But it damn sure felt that way.

“Plus, I promised that I would keep in touch. But let’s not talk about it right now.”

Galo nodded and moved closer to Lio, wrapping his arm around him. He was right. They would think about it later. Right now, they could just focus on each other. And just for the moment, Galo could ignore the little crack in his heart.

The next morning came too quickly. Lio had woken up earlier than Galo, which was usual. He sat up and yawned before looking at Galo. He let his hand lightly run over his burned arm. The scars made a strange pattern, which made his heart sink. He softly pressed his lips against his arm, as if trying to soothe or heal it. He took another look at Galo’s sleeping face, softly touching his cheek. This was enough to wake him up. He gave a sleepy smile before yawning.

“Morning.”

Lio smiled and leaned down, pressing his lips against Galo’s. It wasn’t a long kiss, but Galo savored it just the same. He knew what day it was. And he knew that it was a bittersweet morning. Lio had made him promise to not see him off at the airport. He didn’t want to make it any worse than it already was going to be. 

“I can make breakfast for you if you want. I have enough time to make pancakes or something.”

Galo shook his head before wrapping his arms around Lio’s waist and burying his face in his torso. “I can make something later. I just want to spend a little more time like this. Besides, you’re warm.”

Lio let his fingers run through Galo’s wild blue hair before kissing the crown of his head. 

“Okay.”

A couple hours later, Galo was seated at his table eating a bowl of cereal. He again touched at his medical sleeve after sticking a spoonful in his mouth. His apartment was empty before, but it just felt like a husk with Lio gone. He had so many emotions swirling in his head, from pain to pride. He looked out the window and sighed. He honestly didn’t know what to do with himself, so he thought it best to just continue to eat his breakfast and let his mind stay empty.

It wasn’t until the end of the day that he actually confronted the new normal. Before he realized it, he was again at the edge of the former lake, sitting butterfly style with his knees wide apart. It was quiet and dark, save for the stars above him and the gentle rustle of the trees.

“I thought you’d be here.”

Galo looked up and saw Aina smiling at him. She took the spot next to him and brought her knees up to her chest. “Are you okay?”

“Probably? I dunno… I’m feeling a lot of stuff I guess. But I miss him already.”

“Well that’s normal. This is the first time you’ve gone through something like this right?”

Wordlessly, Galo nodded. Aina responded with a head nod of her own and sighed. “I’m not gonna lie: it may be a little rough at first. But you guys are still together, even though you’re not in the same place. I mean… I don’t know everything about your relationship, but… I think you really helped him. You gave him something he couldn’t give himself, and that’s a giant plus. Now he’s off to be a king! I think that’s pretty cool.”

“Yeah. That is pretty cool.” Galo said with a chuckle. Aina smiled, happy that she was able to cheer him up a little and leaned her head on his shoulder.

“We’re gonna get you through the worst of it. He’ll be back before you know it.”

Galo nodded as he looked back up at the sky. He took a deep breath in and smiled, and thought back to their first encounter. There were so many things that had happened between then and now but one thing stayed the same:

Lio still left him awestruck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the last proper chapter, but I do have an epilogue planned and a slight spin off!


	13. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the last chapter! Thank you so much for reading! This was my first chapter story (that wasn't a collection if one-shots) that I've made in years and I just wanted to thank anyone who read this and anyone that found joy from this!

For the first time in the years that they had been together, Galo opened his eyes before Lio. Granted, he had to set the alarm on his watch so that it only woke him up. And even then, he was afraid Lio would hear the vibrations. But thankfully, he stayed asleep. Carefully, he sat himself up, peeling himself away from Lio. He watched as Lio readjusted himself, tucking his arm under his body, staying asleep. 

It was only then when he realized what Lio meant when he said he liked seeing Galo’s sleeping face. It was so gentle and sweet. And beautiful. It was so different from any of the faces he had seen him wear before. And he looked so tiny in the oversized shirt that he had stolen from Galo. It made him forget that he was the most powerful man in the land in another country. Here… He was just his boyfriend... He wanted to touch his face, to cover it with kisses, run his fingers through his hair…

Wait! He was awake for a reason! He didn’t need to get distracted! 

He snuck out of his room, quietly closing the door before making it to his kitchenette. Lio only had this day completely off in his whole diplomatic trip, so he really wanted to make it special. And that included spending what little time they could together doing fun things. Unfortunately, because he was so well-known, he couldn’t go out in public without being swarmed by people constantly, so they would spend their day inside. He looked at his watch which read 5:35 and he smiled.

This would be a good day.

Lio woke up the smell of something sweet, along with the sound of clinking in the kitchen. He looked around and saw that Galo was no longer in the bedroom. He swung his legs over the edge of the bed and yawned after finding his footing. Opening the door, he was surprised by Galo sitting at the table with a large smile. The table was decorated with two plates that had a small stack of pancakes and two glasses of oranges juice. In the middle of the table was a vase with a single rose in it. Lio blinked a couple times as he looked over the setting before he turned his attention back to Galo.

“Happy day off!”

Lio felt his face turn into a smile before he walked over and took a seat at the table. “You got up and made this for me?”

Galo nodded enthusiastically. “This is your only day off! So I figured since we can’t go outside without it being crazy, we could spend the day doing stuff around the apartment! Starting with breakfast!”

“I’m surprised you didn’t burn anything, Galo.”

“Trust me, I practiced the whole month before you got here! And because of that, I’m a genius at making pancakes!”

“Well, Mr. Genius. What else do you have planned?”

“I’m glad you asked! I rented some movies, so we can eat popcorn! Then I got some new video games we can play. Then for dinner, I’ll get a pizza delivered and then Meis, Gueira and Aina said they could sneak us out to the lake at the end of the day!”

“You did all of this for us? That’s probably the best thing I’ve heard all year.”

Galo smiled again before digging into his breakfast. Lio followed suit as he watched him. While normally, he would hate the fact that he was stuck inside the whole day, being with Galo made it less of a chore and more of an adventure. After becoming a proper king and changing all the draconian laws that Kray had enforced, he was able to change things so that his people had more of a say.

Who knew that would give him even more work to do?

So, spending time with his boyfriend, just being a normal person for a day - hell, being normal for a few hours- was something that he relished. He touched the flower lightly, admiring how fresh it looked.

“Did you get this yesterday?”

“This morning! I snuck out while you were asleep and you didn’t even notice!”

“When did you get so sneaky?”

“Aina helped me. She said I have to be more romantic, especially since we only see each other a few times a year in person.”

“Remind me to thank her.”

They spent the rest of the day exactly how Galo said it would be. They watched an action movie Lio chose, and a sappy movie for Galo. In between the movie viewings there would be lots of cuddling and kissing, the two of them making up for the last months of not being able to even touch each other. When the movies were over, Galo found a video game to play, laughing at how much of a sore loser Lio was. It felt so normal and comfortable.

Finally after the sun had set and the amount of people on the street had decreased significantly, the two got to the ground floor of Galo’s apartment building where they met their three accomplices. With an almost ninja level of stealth they were able to avoid anyone noticing them. They reached the lakefront with relative ease.

“Okay, you guys.” Aina started. “We can probably get away with this for a couple hours…”

“We’ll set off a signal for you when you guys are out of time, Boss.” Meis said with a smile, sticking his hands in his pocket.

“Don’t worry about anything! We got you covered!” Gueria finished before signalling that the other two follow him to give them privacy.

“Wow… Those two are pretty awesome.”

Lio stretched, taking in the scenery. The chill of the late fall air touched his nose, reddening it just a little bit. “There’s a reason I made them head of my military. They know what they’re doing.”

Galo and Lio found a spot of soft grass in front of the lake, with Lio sitting in Galo’s lap. Galo wrapped his arms around Lio’s waist, drawing him closer and placed his chin in the crook of Lio’s neck, leaving little kisses on his cheek. 

“I’m glad you were able to get the lake back to the way it was before Kray.”

“Me too. It’s one of my favorite places.”

A comfortable silence enveloped them. Lio glanced at Galo nervously before turning his attention to the sky.

“So… what would you say if I were to give up this king job?”

“Can you even do that?”

“I’ve been making changes over in my country that would easily phase out any need for a monarch. Also, I’ve been thinking about what the next phase in my life will be. And… I don’t think we should stay apart for too much longer. Or rather, I don’t want to stay apart for much longer.”

“What would you do after?”

“Maybe I could be an ambassador, or a political advisor. I can still go back home whenever. Check on the people. Make sure everything’s running well. But I could have offices here. And I could have the luxury of thinking of us more easily.”

Galo felt his stomach flutter with every word Lio was saying. He really wanted this! He had been hoping for something like this for a long time! But…

“Only if you want to.”

“I’ve realized this king job really isn’t for me. And while I want the best for my people and my country, I don’t know if I can do my best work from the top. I think I need to be on the ground. I wouldn’t be here all of the time, and it will still take some time before I’m no longer the head person in charge but… I figured I could give it a shot.”

“I like that idea, Lio. I really like it.”

Lio turned his head to Galo and smiled. “And you’d be okay with living with a pyromaniac for at least half the year?” He joked, finishing by making a flame appear on his finger. It had been so long since he had seen Lio’s flame that Galo had gotten slightly mesmerised by it.

“I love all of you, including your fire. I think I can handle it.”

Lio smiled and settled into Galo’s lap, content with his day. It was probably the best day he had experienced in a long time. He looked at Galo’s smiling face, and was completely awestruck.


	14. Second Epilogue - Short Story

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll be honest, I couldn't quite let this story go yet! So I made one more story pertaining to it! This will be the last one as far as I know! Thanks again for reading!

Galo entered his apartment, sighing roughly as he hung his keys on the key hook right next to the door frame. His shift at work had been rougher than normal, and he had been running all around the city, almost getting yelled at all day, and running in and out of fires. He looked in his apartment and sighed.. It was dark and it felt empty and cold. He flipped the light switch that was next to the door, which didn’t make it feel any less empty, before running his hand through his blue hair. As he made his way through his apartment, he continued to shed pieces of clothing until he was shirtless and shoeless, flopping on his bed. He wanted nothing more than to crash right there.

But he couldn’t. 

He sighed as he sat up and looked around his room and out his window. Normally, he would just order a pizza and watch a movie as he fell asleep. But his day was so hard that he really just wanted to hold onto his partner. Or at least talk to him. He dug around in his pocket to find his phone and tapped on the messaging app decorating his screen and saw that he didn’t have any new texts. Granted, he was only looking for a message from one person in particular... He tapped on the name ‘Lio’ that was surrounded by heart and fire emojis, hoping that he had somehow missed a message. But he hadn’t.

There were days like this. He may not have been a king anymore, but that didn’t mean that he wasn’t constantly busy. Some days he just wouldn’t get back to him. And normally, it would be fine. But today, he just felt lonely. He had the opportunity to commiserate with Aina on the way home, but now, he was just by his lonesome. And it kind of sucked.

“I should at least take a shower…” Galo muttered, continuing to look at the city. Maybe he’d be able to think of what kind of pizza he wanted to eat. By himself. He sighed roughly and rolled off the bed before grabbing his sleep clothes. Maybe the best thing to do was to wash the day off and pass out.

After taking a long hot shower, he made his way around the apartment picking up the clothes that he had scattered about while drying his hair. Lio had convinced him that they should move into a bigger place, but right after they had officially moved in, Lio was called back to his home country for an emergency. So they hadn’t even had a chance to really enjoy their new place. Galo would send pictures and have frustrated video calls about how he couldn’t find the parts for furniture, but it wasn’t the same as having him there. So, here he was, in a new apartment, decorated with furniture that had weird names, and no person to cuddle.

He wasn’t even hungry. 

Making his way back to the master bedroom, he flopped down and stared at the ceiling. Maybe he could drown out his loneliness with the TV. A random movie had to be playing somewhere. Pressing the power button, he found that the TV was already programmed to a movie channel and incidentally one of Lio’s favorite movies was playing. Closing his eyes, he sighed in frustration. Exactly what he needed…

“Could this day suck any more??”

“Well, hopefully I can make it better.”

Quickly sitting up, he found a slender blond man leaning against the door frame. In one hand, he held the collapsable handle of his luggage and in the other, he was holding a large pizza box. His violet eyes connected with Galo’s electric blue ones, and he gave an easy smile as he felt his black jacket slipping off one of his shoulders.

“Lio…?”

“Surprise.”

Almost immediately, Galo had jumped off of the bed and wrapped his arms around Lio, showering him in kisses, and almost crushing the pizza in the process. After about five solid minutes of cuddling on Galo’s part, he took a moment to look at him, making sure that he wasn’t dreaming or hallucinating.

“What are you doing here? I thought you were gonna be gone until at least the end of next month!”

“Yes, well, I told you that for a reason. I wanted to surprise you a little bit.” Lio said as he placed his luggage against the wall next to the door. He found a place on their bed while placing the pizza between them. “I even stopped by the pizza place and got us some dinner…” He patted the area across from him, urging a still slightly stunned Galo to get comfortable on the bed as well. Happily, he did as he was coaxed, quickly opening the box to see his ornately decorated pizza and felt his face quickly spread into a smile.

“You’ve only been here five minutes and you’ve made my day a million times better!”

Lio simply smiled and took a slice before readjusting himself on the bed. “So this is our new bed? How do you like it?”

“I’m still getting used to it.” Galo said with a stuffed mouth. “I wasn’t expecting it to be so soft.”

“Generally, beds are supposed to be soft, Galo.” Lio said as he moved to lean back on the headboard to watch the movie that was on cable. Galo followed suit, but he kept his eyes glued on Lio. It was like he timed everything perfectly. But he always had been good about that, and Galo could swear up and down that it was his hidden power. 

Lio finished his slice of pizza before looking next to him to see that Galo had barely even started on his second piece which was odd for him. He furrowed his eyebrows with concern. “You okay?”

Galo smiled. “Yeah. I just missed you.”

Lio returned the smile and ran his fingers through Galo’s hair before laughing. “Your hair is soaking wet. I could dry it for you.”

“Only if you promise not to burn it all off.”

The two finished their pizza and immediately, Galo’s head was in Lio’s lap as they continued to watch the movie. He felt him stroke his hair comfortingly, and it was something he hadn’t experienced in such a long time, he forgot how soft his touch was. His fingertips were warm as they lightly brushed against his scalp, and every once in a while, Lio would lean down and place a soft kiss on Galo’s forehead, making his stomach flutter like he was a child with a crush. 

“So…” Galo started. “How long are you gonna be home?”

“Guess.”

“I’m terrible at guessing!”

“Which makes it incredibly entertaining for me.”

Lio laughed when Galo breathed a rough sigh and crossed his arms as he turned to look up at his partner’s mischievous face. There was something about those lavender eyes combined with that smirk that was simply irresistible. “A couple days?”

“Nope.”

“A week?”

“Nuh-uh.”

“Just tonight?”

Lio gave a slightly frustrated frown as he resisted the urge to push Galo off of him. “First of all, why would I only be here for a night? Second, why would you DECREASE the amount of days you guess?”

Galo laughed as he placed his hand on Lio’s cheek. “It was just a little payback. How long do I have you this time?”

“I’m here for about two months. I was able to get an extra long vacation so I figured I’d actually come home and make it seem like I live here too.”

Galo sat up with excitement, immediately reminding Lio of a puppy and almost started bouncing on the bed. “Are you serious?? You’re gonna be here for that long?”

“Yup. I convinced them that with all the work I’ve been doing, I needed a break. Meis and Gueira have all the things they’ll need to make sure things go smoothly. So unless it’s an emergency or they’re just saying hi, I won’t get any calls.”

Excitedly, Galo pressed his lips against Lio’s, placing his hands on both sides of his face. He had almost forgotten how warm his lips were and how sweet he tasted. Their moment of bliss lasted a long moment, before Galo felt as Lio smiled against his lips before pulling apart.

"And here I thought you wouldn't be happy with this."

Galo couldn't form any coherent thoughts so he simply laughed before kissing Lio again.

Before Lio knew it, his eyes blinked open as they adjusted to the darkness of the room. He found the clock on the night table next to their bed which read 3:20 taking a deep breath. And next to the clock was the empty pizza box from their dinner. He gave a sleepy sigh at the slight mess. This is what happens when you get distracted by your handsome boyfriend and a new bed… 

After throwing the box away and returning to his room, he stopped to look at Galo as he stood next to the bed. Not a day went by that he didn't miss falling asleep next to him. Quietly and gently, he climbed back into the bed and under the covers, moving Galo’s arms slightly so that he could move closer to him and instinctively, he pulled Lio closer. Even in the dark, he could make out his goofy sleeping face, with his hair splayed all over the place and his mouth open as he slightly snored. He tucked his arms under him as he cuddled closer to him before closing his eyes. He’d be officially awake in a few hours. He didn’t need to rush anything.

Galo woke up almost abruptly as his alarm screamed loudly to awaken him. He looked around his room which was gradually lighting up from the sunlight pouring into his room. Bleary eyed, he saw that the pizza box that he had thought he’d left on the nightstand was gone, the large luggage suitcase that Lio had leaned against the wall was no longer there, and most importantly, Lio wasn’t in the bed. His heart sank to the floor as his eyes widened. Had he been that out of it…? He couldn’t have just dreamed that Lio had come home… right? If so, it was the most realistic dream he had ever-

“Morning.”

Snapped out of his early morning spiralling, he looked up and found a fully dressed Lio, his hands stuffed in the pockets of his oversized jacket. He peered over the rims of his sunglasses with a slightly confused look. “You good…? You look like you were having a crisis…”

Galo felt his eyes start to water up as he gave a deep sigh of relief. Slightly embarrassed he ran his hand roughly through his hair as he smiled at Lio.

“I thought you being here was a dream and I was freaking out a little bit.”

Lio chuckled as he walked over and gave Galo a peck on the lips. “You’re not getting rid of me that easy.” He sat next to him on the bed as he took off his sunglasses. “I forgot to ask you last night, but do you have to work today?”

“Yeah, but I’m off tomorrow! We can spend the whole day doing whatever we want! Especially now that it’s spring and the trees are starting to look pretty!”

“Sounds like a plan. Now get up. I made eggs and a bowl of cereal for you. I’ll even be a good boyfriend and walk you to work.”

“I feel like you just want to see Aina.”

“That’s precisely the reason.” Lio said as he bounced himself off the bed. Galo sighed as he watched Lio leave the room before swinging his legs over the side of the bed. Even though for the first time in a long time he didn’t want to go to work, he knew that it just meant that he’d have someone to come home to. Which kind of made up for it.

After a quick shower and his breakfast, the two of them started on their way towards the fire department. Lio took hold of Galo’s hand as they started out of their apartment building and down the street.

“So, what do you plan to do for the day?”

“Well, because you complained about it so much, I figured I could try my hand at making some of the furniture that you didn’t do.”

“Good luck… That stuff is ridiculous… I tried to get Aina and Lucia to help. Lucia tried to add rockets to it, and Aina spent the whole time reeling her in.”

“I miss all the good stuff, don’t I?”

About ten minutes later, they were walking into the station, with Aina being the first to notice the two of them coming in. She finished fixing her pink ponytail, closed her locker quickly and rushed over to them with a smile. “Lio, I didn’t think you were coming until next month! When did you get in?”

“Yesterday. I wanted to surprise Galo.”

“Oh neat! How long are you gonna be here?”

Lio glanced at Galo before answering the question and let go of his hand, tapping his shoulder. “Hey, go clock in. I won’t be blamed if you’re considered late.”

Galo blinked before doing as he was told. He had to admit that he felt like he was being rushed off for some reason. That didn’t negate the fact that Lio had a point, but still. He looked over his shoulder as he walked away and took note of the fact that Lio and Aina looked like they were slightly huddled together. And if he weren’t mistaken, he had caught Aina looking at him before quickly returning her attention to Lio as if she had been caught. Which was incredibly suspicious.

After he clocked in, Galo quickly reunited with Lio before the latter made a swift exit. He glanced at Aina, who gave him a pat on the shoulder.

“Well, this’ll be a great couple of months for you guys right?”

“Yeah, I’m pretty pumped. By the way... what were you guys talking about?”

Aina felt her face knit into one of confusion as she looked at her friend. “What do you mean? We were just catching up real quick. I mean, we made plans to hang out this weekend, but that’s about it…”

Galo crossed his arms as he leaned down to examine Aina’s eyes. He may have been easy to read, but he could at least pick up when someone was being sneaky. Her sky blue eyes returned his gaze, albeit a little nervously before he straightened his posture and sighed, still side-eyeing her.

“You guys are acting suspicious… But because I can’t put my finger on it, I’ll let it go for now…”

“Oh gee, thanks Galo…” Aina replied as she connected her hands behind her back and meandered to her station. 

At the end of his shift, Galo returned home to find Lio sitting on their couch reading a book. He plopped down next to him before collapsing his head into his lap. Lio simply turned the page to his book before resting a hand on Galo’s chest.

“Long day?”

“Yeah. But it wasn’t bad like yesterday. I had to sit around and do paperwork.”

“Your eternal nemesis.”

Galo chuckled as he kicked his shoes off. “What did you do today?”

“I got some lunch, made the table and started planning a surprise for you.”

“What?” Galo replied, quickly sitting up. Lio looked up from his book with a stoic face, which gave Galo pause. Whenever he had that face, there was something going on that was usually much bigger than he could handle.

“There are multiple reasons I decided to come back. And it’s pretty lame to not bring a present, don’t you think?”

“I thought you were the present!”

Lio felt his face scrunch up. “In what world would I ever consider myself a present?”

Galo sighed as he put his head back in Lio’s lap. It would probably be weird for him to say that he thought of him as a present, but it was true. With Lio just being there, he didn’t need anything else. “Okay. So when do I get this surprise?”

“I was thinking about tomorrow since you said you had the day off.”

Galo thought about it for a second. “Is this what you were talking with Aina about today?”

“Maybe.” Lio offered with a shrug. “I guess you’ll have to come with me to find out, huh?”

Making a contemplative noise, he sat up and ran his fingers through his hair. “Well, you already know that I’ll say yes.” He watched as Lio closed his book and gave a genuinely happy smile, which made his face heat up. He was caught off guard as Lio quickly leaned in and captured his lips in a kiss, but all too soon it was over.

“I was hoping you would.”

The next morning, Galo rolled over in his bed and sighed loudly. It was very rare for him to wake up before his alarm, and rarer still to see that Lio was still in bed sleeping. He wished that he could have taken a picture of it, but he wasn't quick enough. Him moving just a little bit was enough to wake his partner up. He gave a yawn and sat up, his blond hair sticking out in all directions.

“How did I wake up before you?” Galo questioned, his voice still thick with sleep. Lio simply shrugged before stretching and rolling out of the bed to go to the bathroom. When he was sure the door was closed, Galo made his way to the kitchen, opening the cabinets and reaching in, pulling out one of his favorite coffee cups. It was at that moment when he truly woke up, and he felt little butterflies in his stomach as he thought about the day that would be ahead of them. It was a nervous excitement that he kind of always had when Lio was around. And he was still living in the bliss of him being in the city for such a long time. He continued to look at his cup slightly dazed before Lio surprised him, questioning why he was staring at a coffee mug.

“So!” Galo said as he put his jacket on. “What’s on the agenda?” They had already had breakfast and Lio had made it a point to join Galo in his morning run, which was something he had been begging Lio to do for ages. After a shower together, they were on their way to the next destination. 

“I rented out a movie theater just for us to watch your favorite movie.”

“Really? I didn’t even know you could do that!” Galo responded happily. He stuffed his hands in his pockets before panicking slightly as he pat himself all over. Lio raised an eyebrow as he watched Galo’s silly dance before he breathed a sigh of relief.

“What are you doing?”

“I was just making sure I had my keys and stuff! Let’s get going!”

Galo was immediately taken aback by the movie theater. He had assumed Lio meant that he had just rented out an auditorium for him. But he had actually rented out the whole establishment. Lio casually walked up to the counter and got a box of candy, eating some before tossing the box at Galo. He barely had a chance to catch it as he looked at him slightly slack-jawed. 

“How did you even do this?”

“I saved up my allowance money for a couple months. I’ve been planning this for awhile. Come on or we’ll miss the movie.” Lio responded as he started off for the auditorium the movie was playing in. 

By the time they left, it was lunchtime and Lio took hold of Galo’s hand. “Okay. Follow me, no questions asked.”

“But-” Galo started, but felt Lio’s hand heat up in his own. “Ow! Okay, got it! No questions!”

After a bus ride and a short walk, the two made it to the park, where many of the trees present were blooming as they surrounded the opening path that led to the rest of the park. But it wasn’t just the trees. The flowers were pulling their weight as well, their bright flowers popping on their green canvases, while they contributed to the pleasant aroma.

“Wow! You remembered I wanted to come here!” Galo said with wonder filling his eyes. 

“You were pretty explicit that you wanted to see the trees blooming. Plus, your next surprise is here.”

“This wasn’t all of it?”

Lio shook his head as he led Galo through the rest of the path. Upon reaching the end, they were greeted with a completely decorated picnic table, complete with drinks and two large sandwiches on either side of the table. Galo’s eyes widened as his mouth started to water and his stomach loudly imitated a whale.

“I asked Aina if there were any places you’d been wanting to try out and she told me about some new sandwich place. She set this up for us while we were in the movie.”

“She did this for us? She’s so awesome! Come on, let’s eat! I’m starving!”

After their meal, they decided to sit at the table, enjoying the light spring weather. Lio smiled at Galo as he leaned his head on his hand.

“So, do you like the surprises?”

“Like them? I love them! But… what made you plan all this?”

“Because I like you.” Lio said with a sly smile, chuckling when Galo’s face transitioned to a much redder shade. “But I also wanted to show you how much I care. I mean, I’m gone all the time, and sometimes I can’t even get to the phone because I’m so busy. I didn’t want you to think that I forgot about you or something.”

“I know. I also know that you care and I’m super proud of all the stuff you’re doing. Your changing lives over there!”

“Well, I do what I can for the people I love.” Lio replied with an easy smile. “But I’m not talking about the people I love in another country right now. I want to focus on the person I love that’s in front of me.”

Galo felt his stomach flip from that statement. How was he so effortlessly romantic? He tried to be smooth like Lio, but it would always come out blunt and weird. But that was one of the things he loved about Lio. And that along with Aina helped him pick up some cues in the romance department. He stuffed his hands in his jacket pocket, fiddling around causing Lio to lean his head to one side.

“Are your hands cold or something? I can warm them up.”

“No, it’s okay!” Galo said with a confident smile. “So, anymore stops on this surprise tour?”

“Well, if I told you it wouldn’t be a surprise. But we’ll have to wait until tonight for the last surprise. It’s something that’ll blow you away.”

Night came and the two made it back to the fire station much to Galo’s surprise. He looked around confused. “What are we doing here?”

“I got some help from everyone, and I thought we could do some fireworks here.” Lio replied easily. Galo gasped loudly, like a child who had just woken up to see a mountain of presents for their birthday.

“Fireworks?! You got fireworks?!”

“Sure. I figured that the best place to do it would be a place where we can control the fire. I got permission from the Captain. Everyone’s waiting out back.”

Lio barely finished his sentence before Galo was rushing to the back of the station. There were mountains of colorful explosives strewn about, and behind them were the rest of his team. 

“You guys finally made it.” Lucia said as she cleaned her ear out. “I was about to leave, but then I remembered Lio said he’d show me his flame if I stuck around.”

Remi sighed. “When did you become such a pyromaniac?”

“The moment I found out there’s a group of people who can create pretty flames.”

“Why don’t we table this for later?” Aina said with a sigh. “Let’s play with fireworks, shall we?”

For the next hour and a half, Burning Rescue found multiple different fireworks to light. Most of them were handheld sparklers, which gave off pretty lights and slight fires. Lucia made a point of chasing around Varys and Remi, while Ignis simply found a chair to watch them have fun. Lio acted as a human lighter as everyone would come to him to light their fireworks, but when they finally ran out, Lio figured it was his turn to show off just a little bit. They made sure to set up rocket fireworks up and Lio aimed a small flame at all of them, to Lucia’s chagrin. One by one, they shot off into the sky, painting the dark sky with tens of different colors. Galo looked at Lio, who simply smiled at him before turning his attention to the sky show.

About an hour later, everything was cleaned up and they were on their way off, with Galo still slightly in shock by how great the day had turned out. He looked at Lio as he put an arm around his shoulder.

“This was probably the best day of my life, Lio.”

“Good. I was hoping I’d at least crack the top five.”

Galo smiled before shifting slightly. “Hey, do you mind if we go to the lake for a little? I don’t feel like going home quite yet.”

“If you want to.” Lio noticed Galo’s face relax. He watched him, slightly perplexed. He had been acting slightly off all day. Not completely out of the ordinary, but something was definitely going on with him. Maybe all of the surprises just went to his head or something…

The lake was just as quiet as Lio remembered it, especially at night like this. Whenever he sat down there, memories good and bad would come flooding back to him. But this was his favorite place. He looked at Galo, who sat down next to him with a sigh. 

“This place is still so awesome after all this time.” Galo said quietly as he looked over the horizon. “There are lots of memories here.”

“Yeah. I still remember showing you my flames here. Looking back, that was kind of a risky move on my part…”

“Hey, if you hadn’t told me, we may not be here right now! It ended up being super helpful!”

“I didn’t know it at the time, though. I just decided to trust you from my gut instinct.”

The two fell into a comfortable silence as they continued to sit and watch the lake. After a long few minutes, Galo broke the silence by clearing his throat. 

“Hey, Lio. I wanted to give you something…”

“Oh yeah?”

Galo nodded emphatically as he fumbled around jacket pockets before pulling out a little black box. He felt his stomach start to do flips as he almost separated from himself. He looked at Lio, who’s face had turned into a combination of seriousness and shock. He had started already though, so there wasn’t any going back. He opened it revealing a thick black ring with a metallic fuschia inlay. There was a chain that went through the ring, giving Galo a way to take it out so that Lio could get a better look at the jewelry.

“So… I’m not really good at these kinds of things… But I was wondering if you’d maybe, want to get married someday? It doesn’t have to be soon or anything! I just figured that, you know, we’ve been a thing for awhile, and I can’t really think of a future without you, and-”

He was cut off by his rambling as Lio gently kissed him, wrapping his arms around his neck. After a long second, he pulled apart and smiled. “Yes, I’d want to get married someday.”

“You mean it?”

“Yeah. I mean it.”

Galo felt his cheeks tighten on his face as his smile grew wide enough to tear his face in two. He quickly kissed Lio again and sighed in relief. “You have no idea how nervous I was to ask that!”

“I do have some questions. One: is that why you were acting so weird today?”

“I wasn’t acting weird! I’ve gotten better with my poker face!”

“I still noticed it. Also, how long did you have that?”

Galo rubbed the back of his head with embarrassment. “I got it at the beginning of your last trip here. I was gonna do it then, but then you had to go back to work, so I couldn’t ask. I hid it in my favorite coffee cup.”

“That’s why you were staring at your cup this morning. I should’ve known…. And last question, why is there a chain on it?”

“Well, I got it made out of tungsten because Lucia said that it didn’t melt as easy. But then I figured your flames are still pretty hot. So why not wear it as a necklace?”

“You just think of everything don’t you? Well don’t just sit there. Put it on me.”

Galo fumbled with the necklace for a minute before getting the clasp secure around his neck. When Lio was sure it wasn’t going anywhere, he looked down at it with a smile. “You really outdid yourself, Galo Thymos.”

“Surprise.” He wrapped an arm around Lio, pulling him close before placing a soft kiss on his head. Hopefully Lio would be okay with the fact that he kind of hijacked the day of surprises.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed this chapter! If you feel so inclined, feel free to support me on my Kofi (no pressure) at:
> 
> https://ko-fi.com/dominiquesade


End file.
